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Book -i_A„<S3^i^ 



f 



SiMTAIlV COMMISSION, No. !0. 
/ 

A rvEPOllT TO THE SECRETARY OE WAR 



OPEIIATIONS 



SANITARY COMMISSION, 



AND UPON THE 



SANITARY CONDITION OF THE VOLUNTEER ARMY 



glcMtal ^iaff, j0S|)itals, anlj |fl5j)i!al Sw^plics. 



DECEMBER, 1861. 



WASHINGTON, D. C: 

MoQILL Si WITUEROW, I'RIKTERS 
1861 






^3 



7^ 



^ / 



Ox- 



2 



SUBJECTS. 



Pago. 

OUGAXIZATIOX AND DCTIES 5 

PrKLIMINAKY SlRVKY 6 

Financial Basis 7 

AOA'ICE 7 

Inquiuy 11 

Condition OF THE Volunteer Army 12 

Time of RecruitiDg 13 

Nativity < 23 

Age 14 

I lisped ion of Recruits 14 

Situation of Camps 17 

Water 17 

Occupation of Camp Sites 17 

Drainnge, natural 17 

Drainage, artiticial 18 

Camp Arrangement 18 

Tent Accommodation 19 

Ventilation 10 

Tents 19 

Flooring 20 

Privies 22 

Disposition of Offal 22 

Stables 22 

Camp Police, in general 23 

Clothing 23 

Cleanliness 25 

Food 20 

Company Funds 29 

Hospital Fund 31 

Cooking 31 

Sutlers 32 

Drunkenness 33 

Discipline - 34 

Recreations 39 

Regimental Bands 41 

Remittances of Pay 42 

Qualifications of Surgeons 43 

Camp Hospitals ■•4 



■^ Page. 

Classification of Hospitals — Table 44 

Resum<5 of Sanitary Condition of Regiments — Table 44 

Mortality, Diseases and Casialties 46 

Extent and general character of diseases 40 

Quinine as a prophylactic 50 

Disi'osiTioN OF THE SicK — Tablo 51 

Prevalent Diseases 53 

Diseases and Casualties of the Army Statistically Classified — Table 54 
Number of Diseases and Casualties of each class and Order to 1000 

treated 60 

Tendencies of Disease Gl 

Typhus 61 

Measles and Small-Pox 61 

Military Hospitals 64 

Defect in Present Hospital Arrangemements 65 

Relation between General and Regimental Hospitals 66 

Technical Difficulties in the Hospital System 66 

Medical and Suugical Service of the Army , 68 

Regular Service 68 

Volunteer Service 71 

Transportation 75 

VOLUNTF.KR lIoSI'lTAI, AM) OTHER SCTPl-IES 75 

^Depots of the Commission 77 

Freight 78 

Amount of Supplies Distributed 78 

System of Distribution 79 

Reserved Stock of Supplies 7U 

Insufficiency of Government Resei'ves 80 

Supplies for men in the Field 81 

Special Rklief to Volunteers in Ihuecular Circumstances 82 

DlSTRlBlTTION OF AdVISoUV DoClMF.NTS 89 

IiECORD OF BlTRIALS 89 

DlSBLHSIiMKNTS 90 

Members of the Commission 90 

Importance of Mimtarv Hvciene 92 

Appendix 97 

I. Olficors of the Commission 97 

II. Stiifl" of Inspection 07 

III. E.xnniple 98 

IV. Notes on Bull Run 98 

V. Ambulance , 105 

VI. Volunteer .\rmy Supplies 106 



x3 



REPORT. 



Washington, December 9th, 1861. 
To the Honorable SixMON Cameron, 

Secretary of War : 
Sir : By direction of the Sanitary Commission, I respectfully 
submit the following report of its operations since its appoint- 
ment by you, on the 9th of Juno, 1861, pursuant to the recom- 
mendation of the Acting Surgeon General, under date of May 
22, 1861 : 

organization and duties. 

By your order appointing the Commission, it was vested with no 
legal authority, and with no power beyond that of " inquiry and 
" advice in respect of the sanitary interests of the United 
"" States forces." It was directed, especially, to enquire into 
" the principles and practices connected with the inspection of 
" recruits and enlisted men ; the sanitary condition of the vol- 
" untccrs ; to the means of preserving and restoring the health, 
" and of securing the general comfort and etliciency of troops; 
" to the proper provision of cooks, nurses, and hospitals ; and to 
" other subjects of like nature." 

The Commission has, from the first, fully recuguizcd the 
fact that its office was purely auxiliary and advisory, and that it 



was created solely to give what voluntary aid it could to the De- 
partment and the Medical Bureau, in meeting the pressure of a 
great and unexpected demand on thpir resources. 

The Medical Bureau especially, organized with reference to the 
wants of an army of only a few thousand men, seemed likely to 
be most seriously embarrassed in its operations, when called 
on to provide for a newly levied force of several hundred thou- 
sand, especially as both the officers and men of these hastily as- 
sembled regiments were mostly Vv-ithout experience, and required 
immediate and extraordinary instruction and supervision to save 
them from the consequences of exposure, malaria, unwholesome 
food, and other perils of camp life. 

The Commission met for the first time at Washington, on the 
12th June last, and proceeded to organize and to settle, so far 
as was then possible, the general scheme of its operations. 

* PRELIMINARY SURVEY. 

For the purpose of a preliminary survey of the ground, the 
President of the Commission, Rev. Henry VV. Bellows, D. D., 
immediately undertook an examination of the sanitary condition 
of the troops assembling at Cairo, St. Louis, and other military 
centres in the west, and a like preliminary examination was made 
by other commissioners into the state of the troops on the Potomnc 
and at Fortress Monroe. Full reports of the results thus ascer- 
tained were submitted to the Commission, showing that the appre- 
hensions enter tained of dangers to the army from the neglect of the 
most obvious sanitary precautions, in regard to camp site, ventila- 
tion, drainage, &c., and from the <j;eneral iijnoranee of officers 
and soldiers in regard to this subject, ;iiid in regard, ;ilso, to the 
forms <it" procedure to which mc(lic:i,l and othei' officers are obliged 
to conform, in order to obtain supplies from the regular military 
sources, were in no degree exaggei'ated, and that there was a 



■^ 



\ ast iiekl of work before the Coininission, which (ioveniment 
ooukl not, for the time being, fully occup}^, but which could not 
bo neglected v.'ithout imminent risk of great public loss, and 
national calamity. 

FINANCIAL I;A8IS. 

As the Commission was to receive no pecuniary support from 
Government, it was under the necessity of calling on private 
liberality for the fund it required to sustain it. Its appeal for 
this purpose Avas responded to with promptitude and liberality, 
and the Commission was thus enabled to go into operation with- 
out delay. The Life Insurance Companies of Massachusetts, 
New York, and New Jersey, were most generous in their contii- 
butions — one of the number (the j\iutual Life Insurance Com- 
pnn}' of New York) having given live thousand dollars to the 
objects of the Commission. It has received in money from all 
sources, up to the 25th of November last, twenty -eight thousand 
one hundred and seven dollars, ($28,107,) the larger portion of 
which has been contributed by citizens and institutions of New 
York. Whether public liberality can be depended on as a per- 
manent source of supply is uncertain. Should it fail, the Com- 
mission will bo under the necessity of terminating its labors, 
unless Government should see fit to assume its support. 

ADVICE. 

The Commission found itself charged with a two-fold duty, viz: 
of enquiry into the sanitary condition of the volunteer army, 
and of advice as to its improvement. This latter function in- 
cluded not only the duty of addressing to different departments 
of Government, from time to time, such recommendations or su"'- 
gestions as occasion might suggest, but also that of keeping 
volunteer oflScers and soldiers themselves constantly and directly 



■niiiiief- rf their 

xLf^ recjuiri-i dnrr. ind ti» send xiicm iic* liit 
ramrns ji'jims irum - 



-[^55 DOi coin ' z L 5rr>e":::u 



rificiCTis iai5 iLmi?iTt. iz -p-^ afeo ite^essarr. fr T2eir of tie 
:: r? '"h»T the Coirniji^DX :-"J 5. st^HTC xi- psj Imx moSsriif eaiB- 

^ . . . ^e 

lif ciiiserraiiDiu nieL. ea,ii passfssed of sjiecliil 

i:-: '_-~i'ii;C'ri5.. lt-: -i.-i nudss. A lis: ff liifcr 



seTsral cases tri-.riri-sT, zrjm pcsiiMtt far mnrf rt£mEiieri:nre 
ThnTi liat nuw osnrjiiE'i i~ litenL £3ig iaxi; mideratsB •tbeir 



id c»f n?. TuiiifSt 7L xb* ssrice Cif iiif _ . :_:i_— 



J 



sion. Is'o one is now employed on this <lnty avIio Is not entitled, 
by education, experience, and social standing, to speak Avith a 
certain degree of moral authority ; and whatever success the 
Commission may have attained in the execution of its duties, is 
believed to be due as much to the high character and intelligence 
of its Inspectors, as to all the other advantages it has enjoyed. 

The duties of the Inspectors, beyond what has necessarily to 
be trusted to their discretion, are minutely detailed in the 
printed instructions issued to them, of which a copy is herewith 
submitted. It will be perceived that they are enjoined carefully 
to avoid whatever can excite apprehension of a disposition to 
interfere with military authority. Before entering any camp, 
they are required to obtain the formal approval of the Major 
General, the Brigadier General, and the Medical Director, in 
whose military jurisdiction it is included, together with an intro- 
duction to the commanding oflicer of the regiment, and through 
him to the company officers. Having done this, they arc directed 
to make a minute investigation into every point bearing directly 
or indirectly on the sanitary condition of the camp. 

Among the subjects to which their attention is especially di- 
rected, and on which they are required to make detailed written 
reports, are the quality of rations and of water, the method of 
camp cooking, the ventilation of tents and quarters, the drainage 
of the camp, the healthfulness of its site, the administration of the 
hospital and the sufficiency of its supplies, the police of the camp, 
the quality of the tents and of the clothing of the men, the material 
used for tent flooring, if any, kc, &c. Whatever deficiencies or 
evils they find to exist by which the health, morale, or efficiency 
of the men may be endangered, they are instructed to indicate 
to the proper officer, at the same time offering advice, if it is 
needed, as to the best method of remedying them. A''cry few camps 
have been visited in which important improvements have not been 
ordered, at the suggestion and in the presence of the Inspector. 



10 

The influence, however, which oificers unconsciously receive 
tlirough the mere direction of their attention to neglected duties, 
by the inquiries which the Inspectors have need to address to 
them, constitutes the chief part of the value of tlie services of 
the Commission. This, of course, cannot l)e specified and re- 
corded. But the effect of the advice given by the Inspectors of 
the Commission is found not to be confined to the particular 
camp visited, or to the officers with whom they converse. The 
example of one regiment in reforming abuses and enforcing san- 
itary laws is very generally followed by others near it, and an 
emulation is excited among company and regimental officers, the 
beneficial effects of which have been noticed in man}'' cases 
Avliere an ill-regulated regiment has been transferred to the 
neighborhood of a cleanly, well-policed, thoroughly draineil, and 
salubrious camp. (See Appendix: Example.) Men who have 
been flooded out of their tents in a- rain storm, get little sympa- 
thy from their neighbors who have been instructed how to pro- 
tect themselves by drains, nor are those who feel a natural and 
soldierly pride in the good order and cleanliness of their camp 
generally careful to conceal it when they enter, a camp inferior 
to their own. There is no doubt that systematic attention to san- 
itary laws is becoming more generally understood to be a part of 
the duty of a military officer; and it is satisfactory to observe 
that the more recently enlisted regiments begin better than 
those enlisted at the opening of the campaign, and improve faster. 
This, in part, may be fairly attributed to the publications of the 
Commission, which to the number of more than one hundred 
and fifty thousand have been scattered through the country and 
largely reprinted in the newspapers. 

As every regiment brought to a high sanitary condition is 
found to be a radiating centre of good influences, it has been 
thought that the labors of tiie inspectors (their numbers being 
necessarily far toosmall) wouldbemosteffectively and economically 



c 

11 

applied, by making as tliorougii work :is [)ractical)lc in ilic inspec- 
tion of each regiment visited, and in securing the ellicient co-op- 
eration of its officers, rather than in a superficial exarainatiun 
and imrried efforts for the direct benefit of a larger number. 

The complete and accurate inspection of a single regiment, 
with the collection and recording of information on all the 
points to be embraced in the Inspector's return, cannot, as a 
rule, be performed in less than an entire day. If there are im- 
provements to be suggested, and their necessity explained lo 
officers fully engrossed with their new military duties, much ad- 
ditional time must be spent, and many more visits often paid, 
before the necessary orders are given, and carried into excution. 
But it should be added, in justice to our volunteer ofiicers, that 
the Inspectors of the Commisoion have seldom had occasion to 
complain of any want of prompt, cordial, and intelligent co-op- 
eration on their part. 

The Commission has distributed gratuitously to the surgeons 
and ofiicers of the volunteers, three thousand each, on an average, 
of five concise treatises on the best means of preserving health in 
camps, and on the treatment of the sick and wounded in camp 
and the battle field. As the surgeons of the volunteer army are 
almost altogether drawn from civil practice, and as no books, or 
even circulars of instruction in regard to their novel responsibili- 
ties, have yet been supplied them by Government, these modest 
works have been found of considerable value. 

INQUIRY. 

x\fter the inspection of each camp or post, the inspector is re- 
quired to make an elaborate report upon its condition. This 
report consists mainly of written answers in the most exact and 
consise form to a series of printed (juestions, one hundi-( il arid 



12 

eighty in number, covering every generality important point con- 
nected with the sanitary condition of the army. 

More than four hundred of these reports have been received 
by the Commission. Tlieir results are carefully tabulated, and 
suitable digests prepared by an accomplished actuary. The Com- 
mission is not Avithout hope, if it should be enabled to continue 
its operations, eventually to lay before the country a body of 
military medical statistics more complete, searching, and trust- 
•\vorthy than any now in existence. 

Information as to the condition of the army is obtained also 
from other sources. The Assistant Secretaries of the Commis- 
sion, Doctor J. S. Newberry, Doctor J. Foster Jenkins, ^"nd 
Doctor J. H. Douglas, each having superintendence of a differ- 
ent geographical department, make, from time to time, reports in 
a more general form than those of the inspectors. 

In certain cases, special agents are employed, and special in- 
vestigations made. (Sec notes on Bull Run, in appendix.) Val- 
uable reports h-ive likewise been furnished by members of the 
medical staff; and members of the Commission have, themselves, 
undertaken investigations requiring special scientific knowledge. 

CO.NUITION OF THE VOLUNTEER ARMY. 

A brief statement of the condition, in certain respects, in 
which the army was found during the months of September and 
October, so far as this can be deduced from the reports of inspec- 
tion made during those months, will best illustrate the character 
of the information obtained, and will serve to indicate the ])oints 
to which it seems most desirable the attention of Government 
should be directed. 

The number of regimental returns from which the statistics 
to bo presented will have been derived is two hundred, and they 
will accm-ately indicate the condition of the army in the paiticu- 
lars specified, so far as the condition of the regiments in question. 



7 



13 



taken at random, and some from each division of the army in 
the field, ^vas at the time of inspection fairly representative of 
the condition of the whole. More general statements will be 
introduced where this is known not to be the case, or when, for 
other reasons, it appears to be necessary to fairly present the 
character of the information which has been collected by the 
Commission. 

Of these returns, thirty-seven (37) were from regiments re- 
cruited in New England ; one hundred and one (101) were from 
regiments recruited in the Middle States, including Virginia, 
Maryland, and Delaware ; sixty-two (62) were from regiments 
recruited in the Western States, including Kentucky, Missouri, 
Kansas, and Nebraska. 



Time of Recruiting. — The time occupied in recruiting each 
of these regiments averaged six (6) weeks, the shortest period 
being ten (10) days, the longest about three (o) months. 

Nativity. — In seventy-six and a half (76 J) per cent, of the 
regiments inspected, native Americans were found to constitute 
the majority. 

In six and a half [QV) per cent, there was a majority of Ger- 
mans ; in five and a half (51) of Irish ; and in five and a half (5 J) 
the number of native born and foreign born was about equal. 
Of one (1) per cent, the returns give no information on this 
point. 

The relative proportion of foreigners and native born in the 
volunteer army cannot, at present, be stated with accuracy. It 
is certain, however, that it is not true, as has been stated, that 
the majority of the army is of foreign birth. It would probably 
be a near approximation to tlie truth to state that about two- 
thirds of our volunteer soldiers are American born, and nine 



14 

tenths citizens, educated under the \av,-s of the Union, nnd in the 
En-i-lish tontrue. 

jlgt^, — From incomplete returns, the average age of the vol- 
unteers is judged to he a little below twenty-five (25) years. 
Somewhat more than one-half of their number are under twenty- 
three (23.) The average age of the officers is about thirty- 
four (34.) 

The number of men of any age between eighteen and forty is 
not far from double the number of those five years older. For 
example, the number of those twenty years old is double the num- 
ber of those at twenty-five. 

It is important that the degree of liability to death from disease 
in war, at difi"erent ages, should be ascertained. Data are accu- 
mulating which will serve to determine this. It is still more 
important to determine the degree of liability to sickness at 
different ages, in army life, especially as this affects the question 
of the relative efficiency of men, as soldiers, at different ages. 
For this purpose, no sufficient records are at present made by 
the surgeons of the army, and it is not practicable for the Com- 
mission to supply the deficiency. An improvement in the medical 
record of the army in this particular is therefore desirable. 

Inspection of Becruits. — In fifty-eight (58) per cent, of the 
regiments, there had been no pretence of a thorough inspection 
of recruits on enlistment. 

In only nine (0) per cent, had there been a thorough re-inspec- 
tioii when or after they were mustered in. 

The Commission took occasion soon after its organization to 
address the Governors of all loyal States on the need of more 
vigfuous inspection of recruits. It is unfortunately certain, how 



15 

ever, tluit this importiiiit duty liiis eontiniiod to be generally 
neglected or superficially performed. 

A careful examination of the causes officially assigned for the 
discharge of 1,620 men from the army of the Potomac, as unfit 
for service, during the month of October, made by a committee 
of tlie Inspectors of the Commission, experienced in observation 
of military hospitals, leads to the startling conclusion that fully 
fifty-three per cent, of the whole number Avere thus discharged on 
account of disabilities that existed at and before their enlistment, 
and which any intelligent surgeon ought to have discovered on 
their inspection as recruits. This conclusion is sustained ])y in- 
formation from other sources. 

These men had each, probably, cost the Government at least 
one hundred dollars for his pay, rations, clothing, transportation, 
medicines, &;c., making an aggregate of over eighty thousand 
dollars, absolutely wasted on men who ought never to have been 
enlisted. Extendin<r the calculation iust suggested to the whole 
army, and for the whole period since the commencement of the 
campaign, it seems probable that a million of dollars has been 
lost by mere neglect of preliminary inspection. This pecuniary 
^oss, however, is small compared with that caused by the diminu- 
tion of efficiency which every corps suffers by the introduction of 
any considerable number of men unfit for service, constituting, 
as they do, more than anything else, the '" impedimenta' of the 
army. 

It is difficult to say how far the process of eliminating from 
the army men who should not have been permitted to join it 
can now be carried with safety, but it is manifestly desirable that 
the most decided cases of disability be ascertained by a faithful 
re-inspection, and discharged from service, and that medical and 
military considerations be more rigorously enforced in future 
enlistments. The regulation prescribin«; the ay-e of eiirhteen as 
a minimum should be invariably upon. Every insisted rule. 



IG 

indeed, as to medical inspection of recruits for the regular army, 
is equally applicable to recruits for the volunteer army, and 
should be enforced with equal strictness. Recruits properly re- 
jected by the inspectors of the former have, in many cases, been 
allowed to enlist as volunteers, and have been invalided after a 
few weeks or months of service. 

Another point connected with the volunteer recruiting service 
deserves more attention than it has received: the danger, namely, 
that follows the enlistment of men notoriously vicious and 
degraded. In the regular service, persons of this class are, 
from the very moment of enlistment, controlled in some degree 
by the habits of command that have been acquired by their offi- 
cers, and by the systematic and exact discipline tliey are thus 
enabled to enforce. But, among newly-organized volunteers, 
this cannot be expected, until the whole command has been for 
some considerable time in service, and until th-e majority of the 
nfen have become soldiers in reality, as well as in name. While 
this educational process is going on, the mere presence in camp 
of half a dozen dissolute, insubordinate, and ruffianly men tends 
very much to retard the progress in discipline of the whole com- 
mand. They set an example of unwholesome indulgence of every 
kind, thwart all measures for the sanitary improvement of the 
camp, are the first subjects of disease, and the first to turn their 
backs on the enemy. Whatever disloyalty and desertion have 
occurred among our soldiers, niay generally be traced to persons 
of this class. It is to be hoped that all such will hereafter be 
rigorouslj' excluded from the people's army. 

It is also desirable that sanitary regulations at the various 
depots for volunteer troops be strictly enforced ; that every 
recruit be vaccinated immediately on enlistment; and that in- 



? 

17 

creased attention l)e paid to the hygienic eare of niilitarv com- 
panies in transitu by railroad and b^'^ transports. 

Situation of Oamiia. — (Janip sites have been generally selected 
for military reasons alone, and with little if any regard to sani- 
tary considerations. The regimental surgeon has seldom b(^en 
consulted on the subject. In many instances disease is directly 
traceable to this omission. 

One fourth the regiments were found encamped on sites which 
hail previously been occupied by others. 

Except at Cairo and in the prairie region, cam))s have been 
generally formed on the tops and sides of hills. During the hot 
weather, nearly one-h;ilf were in the shade of woods — an objec- 
tionable circumstance. 

Water. — Water of wholesome quality was found within conve- 
nient distance of the camp in all but two cases. The regiments 
encamped at Cairo were abundantly supplied with i(!e during the 
hot weather. 

Occupation of Camp /Sites. — The average occupation of a camp 
site, up to the date of inspection, had been twenty-one days. In 
the east this period has generally been largely exceeded, and 
regiments have frequently occupied the same ground much longer 
than is safe or advisable. 

Drainage, natural. — Fortunately in those cases where the 
drainage by inclination was the most difficult, the soil and sub- 
soil has been porous and favorable to drainage by filtration. As 
the immediate inconvenience occasioned by a shower of rain in 
these flat sides led to the practice of better judgment in artificial 
drainage than has generally obtained on the hill sites, there 
has been less prejudice to health from poor drainage in the fixed 



18 

camps at the west than in those of the armies of the Potomac and 
\Vestern Virginia, which have generally hecn upon clay soils or 
over retentive suh-soils. There has l)C(;n, for iiusiance, not half 
aS much rheumatism at Cairo as in the eastern camj)s and those 
of Western Virginia. 

Drainage^ artificial. — Until recently, the artificial drainage of 
cami;s, when first visited by the Inspectors, has been found vei-y 
imperfect — the men of each tent being left in most cases to form 
drains around it according to their own judgment. In conse- 
quence of their ignorance, unskilfulness, or indolence, the drains 
have often been useless, and not unfrequently have aggravated 
the evil they were designed to remedy. As soon, however, as 
good examples became frequent, the practice of a systematic 
arrangement began to be generally adopted. The majority of 
volunteer camps are now at least as well drained as those of the 
regulars. The average depth of the camp drains is about six 
inches. In about one-half the camps the drains were found more 
or lesS clogged, owing to their crookedness and imperfect con- 
struction, and to want of proper attention in keeping them clean. 

The consequence of neglecting drainage are frequently appa- 
rent on inspection of the sick list, and more detailed regulations 
with regard to camp drainage are desirable. At present it seems 
to be nobody's business to lay out a system of drains. ^Vithout 
a complete system, drainage can seldom be effective. 

Camp Arrangement. — In general, the plan for laying out a 
camp supplied in the Army Regulatiows, is approximately fol- 
lowed, but the tents are placed more closely together than the 
minimum there prescribed. The difficulty of drainage is thus 
increased, and the narrow spaces between the tents, difficult to 
be swept, become half-concealed receptacles for rubbish. 



19 

Tent Accommodation. — Six men arc usually piovidcil with 
lodging in one of the " wedge" tents. In the Sibley tent from 
twelve to sixteen ; of late sometimes twenty. 

Ventilation. — Tents are seldom tolerably ventilated at niglit. 
Of the regiments under consideration occupying the wedge tents, 
none were found in which the Inspectors were satisfied that proper 
attention was paid to ventilation, and it was obvious in some 
cases that the men suffered in health in conse<pieiice. The Sib- 
ley tent is more convenient of ventilation, and cannot as well 
be tightly closed as the wedge form. The Commission warned 
the Department, in August, of the evil likely to ensue from the 
difficulty of ventilating the wedge tents. It is now found that 
typhus is occurring more freijuently in the regiments occupying 
these tents than in tiiose that have the Sibley — the ratio being 
29.5, to 23. The Massachusetts Seventh A'olunteers, Colonel 
Davis, Surgeon Ilolman, is the only volunteer regiment reported, 
to the present date, in which a thorough ventilation of the Avedge 
tent has been generally established. It was liere induced by 
the occurrence of typhoid fever, and by this, prominently among 
other means employed for the same end, the most gratifying, 
and, at this season, unusual result of banishing this formidable 
disease has been obtained. 

The Inspectors have advised the striking of each tent once a 
■week, for the purpose of giving it a perfect cleansing and airing, 
and the practice is being of late quite generally adopted. 

Tents. — Fifty eight (58) per cent, of the regiments had been 
provided with the wedge tent, ten (10) with the wall tent, seven 
(7) with the bell tent, nineteen with the Sibley, others not 
stated. Ninety per cent, of these were made of goo<l canvass ; 
the remainder were of twilled cotton or drilling, or so old as to 
be leaky. 



20 

Flooring. — Twenty-four (24) per cent, of the regiments were 
provided with tent flooring of boards, twenty (20) per cent, with 
india-rubber cloth, in twenty-one (21) per cent, straw or branches 
were used for this purpose, and in thirty-five (35) per cent, 
the men slept on the ground. 



The following table shows the relative ])roportion of these sev- 
eral kinds of flooring in the three great divisions of the army. 

The important influence it will be doubtless found to cxci-t 
on the health of the men justifies especial in(]uiry into the sub- 
iect. 



Army of tlir Western Mississippi 
Potomac. VirfjitiiH. Valley. 



Board flooring - 
India-rubber cloth 
Straw or fir branches 
None - 



25 


20 


23 


25 


7' 


10 


r.i 


2;> 


23 


81 


50 


44 



100 



100 



100 



The following table shows the ratio of sick men per thousand 
in regiments which had been supplied respectivqly with india- 
rubber blankets ; wooden tent-floors ; straw^, fir boughs, or cedar 
boughs ; and in those which have been sleeping on the bare 
ground. The data are taken from the returns of 120 regiments, 
and chiefly in November. 



Recimknts si,i:eimn(j ox — 



Wood 

India rubber 

Bare ground 

Straw or fir boujihs 



Entire Number of 
Regiments. 



Those in We.stern 
Virginia excluded 




61.5 
60.9 
69.3 

45.8 



// 

21 

As the forces in Western Virginia ^vcre, as a rule, unprovided 
Avith rubber blankets, and as they have suffered special hard- 
ships in other respects, they are excluded from the comparison 
in the second column. 

As rubber blankets had not, at the time the data were collect- 
ed, been issued by Government, it is probable that the regiments 
furnished Avith them had also been better {)rovided for than 
usual in other respects, and that those sleeping on the bare 
ground ivere generally at a greater distance from the supply- 
depots than the others, and consequently not as well provided 
for in other respects. 

A limited examination of the diseases of the army indicates 
that the largest proportion of those of typhoid type occur with 
regiments sleeping on rubber blankets, the least with those on 
straw or boughs ; the largest proportion of catarrhal, with regi- 
ments on wooden floors, the least with those on the giound ; the 
largest of rheumatism, with those on wood, the smallest with 
those on straw or boughs ; the largest of malarial, with those on 
the ground, the least with those on straw or boughs. 

As had been presumed by tlie Commission, it has been proved 
that the best bed for soldiers in camp, can, with a little skill, be 
formed from fir or cedar spray, whenever it can be obtained in 
sufficient quantity. The Inspectors have from the outset been 
instructed to advise its use whenever practicable. It should be 
frequently removed and burned, after a thorough cleansing of 
the tent floor, the tents being struck for the pui'pose. 

Experienced officers generally object to the board floors in 
tents. They are thought to be more damp than the ground 
itself and they offer an opportunity for the collection of rubbish 
and dirt, and make them dilhcult of removal. 



22 

Privies. — Privies had been established in all the camps in- 
spected, except those of two or three regiments recently mus- 
tered in. 

In eighty (80) per cent, of tlie camps, they are reported to be 
properly arranged and kept in proper order, no oflensive odor 
drifting from them. In twenty (20) per cent., proper attention 
was not given to them, and the health of the men was more or 
less seriously endangered in consequence. 

In sixty-eight (68) per cent, of the camps, the men seemed to 
be eflFectively restricted to the use of privies. In thirty-two (32) 
])er cent., the proper prohil)ition was found by the inspectors not 
to be strictly enforced. 

In thirty-five (35) per cent., the men were allowed, at least at 
niglit, to urinate Avithin the camp limits. Night buckets, which 
are regularly provided, one for each tent, in the British service, 
are nowhere in use. The Commission does not think it desirable 
that they should be added to the camp furniture, believing that 
their cleaning would be too frequently neglected. 

Disposition of Offal. — In seventy-seven (77) per cent, of the 
volunteer camps, slops, refuse, and offal are systematically re- 
moved to a distance from camp by a daily detail of men. 

In twenty-three (23) per cent., this duty was performed iri-eg- 
ularly, or very imperfectly. In nineteen of these twenty-three 
camps, the inspectors found odors of decay and putrefaction per- 
cef)tiblo in and about the tents and streets. 

StdJih's. — Stables are sometimes found actually within the 
camps, and quite frequently within half the distance prescribed 
by the Regulations. 

In rather more than fifty (50) per cent, of tlie camps, the 
iiianiirc and litter of the horses are allowed to accumulate for an 



/;t 



inuofiiiite period. In tlie rest, this source of" diinger is removed 
to a distance, or burnt, once a week, or ot'tencr. 

Camp Police, in general. — Of the camps inspected, five (5) per 
cent. Avere in admirable order, forty-five per cent, fairly clean, 
and well policed. The condition of twenty-six (26) per cent. 
was negligent and slovenly, and that of twenty-four (24) per 
cent, decidedly bad, filthy, and dangerous. 

In those camps which are lefi'rred to as in a neglected and 
positively bad condition, some or all of the following sources of 
danger to the health of the men were found to exist, viz : drains 
wanting or clogged up, and retentive of stagnant water ; the canip 
streets and spaces between the tents littered with I'efuse food and 
other rubbish, sometimes in an oftensive state of decomposition ; 
slops deposited in pits within tlie camp limits, or thrown out 
broadcast ; heaps of manure and offal close to the camp, and the 
privies neglected. 

In about two-thirds of the camj)s, the streets were found fairly 
clean, but in only about one-third were the edges of tents, the 
spaces between thetn, and the camp drains, entirely free from 
litter and rubbish. 

On the whole, a very marked and gratifying improvement in 
the custom of the volunteer regiments in respect of camp police 
has occurred during the summer. Faults in this respect, which 
were at one time generally regarded as unworthy of the attention 
of regimental officers, are now considered disgraceful, and the 
number of camps in which officers and men take pride in main- 
taining an exact and severe camp police, is i-apidly increasing. 

Clotliing. — The shirts used by the men were found to be of 
poor quality in twenty-six (2(j) per cent, of the regiments 
examined. In seventy-four (74) per cent., they were of the Keg- 



ulatioii quality. In iiiiiety-i'our (94) per cent., the men had been 
provided with two shirts each. In f(jur and a-lialf (4^) per cent., 
they had but one each, and in the remainder only a part Avere 
properly supplied. 

A want in this and other articles of clothing frequently arises 
from the fact that the men have sold or bartered away a part 
of what they have received. 

In nothing are the volunteer officers more remiss of their duty 
than in that of ascertaining such deficiencies, and in making them 
good upon a charge against the pay of those who are responsible 
for them. A proper overstock of clothing is seldom kept in 
regiments for this purpose. Officers have often been known to 
degrade themselves, their Government, and their commands, by 
begging for supplies of clothing, as a charity, which their men 
were abundantly able to pay for, and which it was their duty to 
obtain for them, and make them pay for. 

£]ighty-two (82) per cent of the regiments were well supplied 
with overcoats, and seven (7) percent, partly so. In eleven (11) 
per cent, there were none at the time of the inspection. In only 
three (3) per cent, of the regiments were the overcoats of poor 
quality. Seventy-five (75) per cent, of the i-egiments were pro- 
vided with good clotli body coats ; the remainder with flannel 
sack coats or cloth jackets. 

Of two hundred regiments, all were provided with pantaloons — 
one hundred and seventy-five sufficiently, eight indifferently, sev- 
enteen very poorly. 

Men have been frequently seen during the summer on duty 
and on parade in their drawers alone. 

In sevent^'-five (75) per cent, of tlie regiments, one good 
blanket had been issued to each soldier. In twenty (20) per 



M 



cent., two hud been })rovide(l ; these being, however, in inost 
cases, of inferior quality. In five (5) per cent..the men h:id never 
all received each a blanket. 

Deficiencies in the regulation allowance of clothing, noted in 
October, have since been genorallj made good. Whore they 
have not, it is in nearly every case owing to the ignorance, 
negligence, or knavery of regimental and company officers. 
There are ample supplies of all necessary articles of clothing, in- 
cluding gloves and socks, in the principal depots, from which all 
wants still existing can be supplied at short notice upon the re- 
quisitions of the proper officers. 

Never, probably, v»^as so large an army as well supplied at a 
similar period of a great war. 

CleanlineBS. — In about eighty (hOj per cent, of the regiments, 
the officers claimed that they gave systematic attention to the per- 
sonal cleanliness of the men ; but in very few instances — almost 
none — is this attention vfhat it should be. The Avashing of the feet 
is very rarely enforced as a military duty, and in not more thon 
six per cent, of the regiments did the inspectors believe, from per- 
sonal observation, that the officers strictly enforcsMl the Army 
Regulations in respect of washing the head and neck. In eighty 
per cent, of the regiments, the officers reported that the men 
washed their shirts at least weekly. In the remainder the want 
of a change was sometimes given as a reason for this neglect. 
In 90 per cent, the officers professed to comply with the Army 
Regulations in regard to the removal of dirt from their woolen 
clothing ; but, from observation, it is obvious that this is very 
rarely done in a thorough manner. 

The volunteer army is more unsoldierlike in respect to matters 
of this kind, and its improvement luis been slower in them than 
in any other. Tlint scrupulous nicety and exactness in the care 



2G 

of articles of dress and equipment, wiiicli gives so much occupa- 
tion to regular soldiers, and which is not only important to be 
observed for the sake of their health, but as presenting the surest 
evidence of a high condition of discipline and efficiency in all other 
respects, is, as yet, entirely unknown. A proper military inspec- 
tion scarcely ever occurs in a volunteer regiment. Recently, the 
inspectors of the Commission have been required to return answers 
to the question : " Are officers and soldiers on duty alloived to ivear 
" their coats partially buttoned, or to follow jj^^'sonal inclination in 
" matters proper to be made uniform and regular f In nearly 
seventy-five (75) per cent., officers, when advised with on this 
point, confessed that very little attention was paid to such mat- 
ters, and in most instances could not understand the object of 
the inquiry, thus showing that they had not a proper apprecia- 
tion of the value of uniformity, of their own duties, or of the 
trouble that would be saved them in their duties by a strict en- 
forcement of the intention of the Regulations in this respect. 

A chief advantage of the uniform of military bodies is, the 
facility it affords for keeping their equipments in serviceable 
order. When every man is expected to appear, in all matters 
of dress, the exact counterpart of every other man, the attention 
of the officer is arrested by a very slight neglect of proper care 
of his equipment on the part of any individual. On the prin- 
ciple of the proverb, " A stitch in time saves nine," it is easier 
and cheaper, for both officer and private, that no day passes 
without every stitch of clothing, every strap, buckle, and button 
being put in the best possible condition. In European armies, 
every man is required to be provided with, and constantly carry 
about him, not only articles necessary for the repair of his cloth- 
ing, belts, &c., but conveniences for cleaning both his person 
and clothing ; as, for instance, a switch or cat for whipping dust 
to the surface of clotii, and a brush to remove it ; oil, emery, 
whiting, blacking and bnislies, for straps, shoes, and buttons. 



27 

In the British army, every private is furnisheil with a tooth 
brush, which he is required to show in his knapsack at the Sun- 
day morning inspection. The economy of this regulation may 
be inferred from the prevalence of toothache and swollen faces 
in our camps. 

Among volunteers it is somewhat rarely that men are found 
provided with the few articles which are essential to an eco- 
nomical care of their clothing ; still more unfrequently are they 
found possessed of those which are requisite to the maintenance 
of health in crowded camps and quarters. This want also stands 
directly in the way of the development of that esprit du corps, 
which is as essential to military efficiency as to health, and is the 
only reason which can be assigned for the greater difficulty which 
the inspectors Inive found in inducing a marked improvement in 
this direction, than in any other. 

It seems desirable, therefore, that such articles should be 
made a part of the Government supplies, and that every man 
should be required to show that he has them properly stowed in 
his knapsack, at each Sunday morning inspection — new issues 
from the quartermaster being made to supply losses in the same 
manner as of clothing, the value of all beyond the yearly allow- 
ance being deducted from the monthly pay of those making this 
necessary. 

Slovenliness is our most characteristic national vice. Frontier 
necessities and costly labor account in a measure for this. The 
indirect influence exerted upon all parts of the country by a pe- 
culiar local system of labor explains more. The city of Wash- 
ington illustrates the vice and the penalty that is paid for it. 
Structures designed in themselves to be commensurate with and 
typical of the moral grandeur of a great republic, are offences 
against good taste, like precious stones on dirty hnnds, when 
seen from out of the unmitigated shabbiness and filth of the 
unsewered, unpaved, unpoliced streets of a collocation of the 



28 

houses <jt' citizens wlio cannot remedy the evil. •• 'J'he Xationnl 
Hotel sickness" was a beneficent reproof of the nairow jiolic-y 
■which deruands ii; of them. That which was lost by it, coukl 
have been cheaply savod, at an expense ten times as great as 
wouhl be the necessary cost of making Washington a healthful, 
beautiful, and appropriate rural metropolis; an attraction, an ex- 
ample, and an unceasing influence for good, in this way, to the 
whole nation. Yet we compel our most valued public servants 
to reside in this capital, and with abundant evidence that simi- 
lar causes arc liable to induce, any day, a far more deadly and 
sweeping pestilence, do nothing to remove them. 

While the simplest, though most absolute, sanitaiy laws are 
thus disregarded in high places, it need not be thought strange 
that the Inspectors find it peculiarly difficult, even after typhus 
has entered the camps, to make the volunteer officers real- 
ize the actual military necessity upon which the array regula- 
tions, with reference to the personal cleanliness of the men, are 
base«l. 

if five hundred thousand of our young men could be made to 
acquire something of the characteristic habits of soldiers in re- 
spect to the care of their habitations, their persons, and their 
clothing, by the training of this war, the good which they would 
afterwards do as unconscious missionaries of a healthful reform 
throughout the country, would be by no means valueless to the 
nation. 

But whatever measures can be taken which will tend mate- 
rially Itj improv(! the habits of the volunteers in this respect, will 
undoubtedly be amply i-epaid in their greater health and better 
spirit in their duty. 

The reconimendatiun made to the Depai'tnieiit, in August, that 
each soldier siiould be provided with a clothes brush, shoe brush, 
tooth bru?h, comb, and tow(l, adapted to he carried snugly in 



29 

the knapsack, and for wliich he should be required to account 
weekly, is therefore respectfully lenewod. 

Food. — The regulation articles of food are universally ac- 
knowledged to be had in great abundance, and their quality is, 
in nearly all respects, generally satisfactory to the men. 

The chief con:i[)laint is want of fresh vegetables, and this is 
mainly confined to regiments in which, through the negU-ct of 
the ollicers, company funds are wTinting. 

Dcssicated vegetables are used to some extent, but are not fu.p- 
ular, because the men have not learned how to cook them, lieg- 
ulars have been found to prefer them to fresh vegetables. 

At the commencement of the campaign, captains of compa- 
nies generally neglected to make requisitions for i-ations in proper 
form, and it was often said that they could never be made to do 
so. As such requisitions are the only honest foundation of the 
army system of supply, the Inspectors were directed to give par- 
ticular instructions on this subject, and to urge strenuously their 
adoption. The result has been satisfactory, llequisitions are 
now almost universally made in proper form, the exceptions 
being in the case of new regiments, and in these only for a 
short time after they are mustered into service. 

Company Furah. — The Commission, soon after its organiza- 
tion, recommended to the proper department of (jovernmeui, as 
an important sanitary measure, the issuing of an order by which 
the commutation of rations, or sale to Government of surplus 
food, otherwise wasted, would be facilitated, and volunteers thus 
encouraged to vary their diet by the substitution of articles not 
supplied in the ration. Such an order was at length issued, and, 
though the volunteers are very slow to comprehend it. or believe 



30 

in the advantages Avliich it ofters, ii very satisfactory advance in 
this respect is recently reported. 

In forty per cent, of the regiments inspected during the month 
of November a company fund existed in every company.; they 
had been formed also in several companies of many other regi- 
ments. In one hundred and thirty-six out of tAvo hundred in- 
spected prior to November 1st, not a single company fund had 
been commenced. 

The company fund is the 'soldier's only resource for many 
articles indispensable to his health, comfort, and efficiency, e. g., 
fresh vegetables, butter, milk, pepper, (no condiment but salt 
being supplied by Government;) many utensils required for cook- 
ing and saving rations; knives, forks, spoons, brushes, blacking, 
&,c. Cavalry and artillery men depend on it for many other 
articles required for their efficiency and creditable appearance. 
Its formation, therefore, promotes the health of a regiment not 
onl^ directly, but also by improving the morale, soldierly feel- 
ing, and self respect of the men, which have no small influence 
on their pliysical condition. 

It may be added that the existence of a company fund operates 
as a check on frauds on the Commissary and Quartermaster's De- 
partments, and tends lo diminish the danger of disease to which 
sutler's shops expose the men. 

In one case fift3'-sevcn (57) dollars have been saved in a 
month, the men, according to their own testimony, having fared 
well. The saving ought to amount to at least six thousand dol- 
lars per annum for a regiment of one thousand men, and this 
ammuit is wasted whenever company funds do not exist."'' 

The inj-j)cctors of the Commission have all done much to re- 



* Company savings of oue hundred dollars a month have been more recently 
rcfiorieJ. 



move objections, and induce the attempt to form the faad in everv 
company they have visited; and in the army of the i*otom;u;, one 
of them has for sometime been almost exclusively employed in 
demonstrating its practicability and advantages. 

Hospital Fund. — Analogous to the company fund, and of like 
importance, is the hospital fund, raised in similar manner, by the 
re-sale to Government of the rations not needed by men while in 
hospital ; or, in other words, by the commutation of these rations 
for their money value. On this fund the volunteers have to rel^^ 
for hospital bedding and clothing, and for all the extra delica- 
cies, and medical and other appliances which the sick and con- 
valescent require. Yet it exists in the regimental liospitals of 
not more than one-third of the volunteer regiments now in the 
field. 

Cooking. — The volunteers do not, as a general rule, take 
kindly to cooking, but of late no serious comphiint on this scoi-e 
has been reported. The system of rotation of cooks that pre- 
vails in the regular army is not generality adopted, and the man- 
ner of selecting cooks is very varied. 

Army cooking is geneially done by fires made in trenches, 
in the most simple and primitive manner. Not more than 
ten per cent, of the regiments inspected use cooking stoves of 
any pattern. Several which employed them for a time have 
given them up and adopted trenches and an open fire, as practi- 
cally more efHcicnt and convenient under the circumstances. 

The cooking of the volunteers constantly improves, and, how- 
ever rude, is probably already more wholesome than that which 
the average of the men have been subject to before enlistment, 
because some of the most deleterious modes of cookini:; to which 



82 

they have bc^n\ accu-;toniiMl ;tre not practicable" in Ciiraps;. It 
must be added, however, that peddlers of ■•' pies' and other ill- 
prepared and injurious articles are generallj'' admitted into camp 
with little, if an}^ restriction, and are subject to no efficient 
supervision. Fluctuatigns on the 6\ck list have been, in certain 
cases, found to be directly corresponding with the greater or less 
facility of access to the men given the pie-peddlers. 

A regular and thorough inspection of the contents of all ped- 
dlers' wagons coming to the camp has been instituted by order of 
the Colonel, at the suggestion of an inspector of the Commission, 
in several regiments, with manifest advantage. If an inspection 
of markets is a necessary civic office, an inspection of peddlers 
is certainly a necessary office for our camps. Thcre-Avould seem 
to be occasion for a general order or regulation on this subject. 

Sutlers. — In this connexion reference c;fnnot be avoided to the 
evil Which often comes to the men from the sutler's shop. There 
would be little objection to the present sutler system were the 
instructions of the Army Regulations thoroughly carried out. 
But it is unquestionably true that proper control and supervis- 
ion of the sutler is scarcely ever maintained in .volunteer regi- 
ments. 

There is reason to believe that corrupt bargains have been 
formed in certain instances between the sutler and officers of bis 
regiment; that in other cases officers receive presents of wine 
from the sutler; that sutlers have used their influence and power 
over the men to prevent them saving from their pay for the sake 
of their families, and that tliey sometime" engage in the secret 
sale of spirits. 

Of two bundled i-egiments inspected in September and Octo- 



/? 

38 

ber, twelve (l."2) Avere without sutlers. Of the one hundred and 
eighty-eight (188) sutlers, one hundred and three (103) were ap- 
pointed h)' the colonel of the regiments, sixty-three (63) by the 
Secretary of War, fourteen (14) by a board of regimental offi- 
cers, five (5) by Governors of States, and the appointment of 
three (3) was not ascertained. 

In one hundred and four (101) regiments a tariff of prices lor 
the sutler's shop was said to have been established., although it 
was very rarely "conspicuously posted," as required by the lic;!- 
ulations. It had been fixed in some instances by a regimental 
board or council^ and in others by the sutler himself. In eighty 
(80) regiments, the price of articles sold was not fixed, and in 
four (4) the fact was not reported.'^ 

iJrunkenness. — In thirty-one (31) regiments, the sutler was al- 
lowed to sell liquor. In one hundred and sixty-nine (109), the 
officers reported that the sale was prohibited. In one hundred 
and seventy-seven (177), it appeared that the men did, in fact, 
get liquor with more or less freedom and facility fi'oni the sutlers 



" The following is an extract from the comnmnicatioa of a surgeon of a vol- 
unteer regiment, addressed to the Commission : 

"In our regiment we have the best sutlers on the Potomac; neverlhcless they 
prove, in actual practice, an rinmitigated curse. Some of the men throw their 
rations away, and literally live on sutler's trash. Others will eat a full ration, 
and then go straight to the sutlers and eat three or four villainous pic. Many 
of these have been fried in condemned lard a week before the soldier eats them. 
The result is camp diarrhoea, dysentery, and all their concomitant evils. 

"Sutlers are a twofold evil. By them the soldier is tempted to spend hin 
earning?, which should be saved for a purpose, and is made sick in the same 
transaction. My observation and experience in camp prove clearly that to 
keep a soldier healthy you must confine him to plain and regular rations. 

" If Congress would pass a law, the tendency of which would be to compel the 
soldiers to live on the Government rations only, it would prove a blessing of 
infinite value to the service." 



34 

or otherwise. In twenty-three (23), the inspectors were satisfied 
that the men did not often or readily obtain liquor. 

It must not be understood, however, that in all the regiments 
which had access to liquor there was any serious habitual excess 
in its use. Intoxication was acknowledged to be common in 
only six (6) regiments. In thirty-one (31), it was said to occa- 
sionally occur, though not deemed a serious evil ; and in one 
hundred and sixty-three (163), the inspectors were assured, and 
had no reason to doubt, that it was very rare. In the majority 
of regiments there is very little dram-drinking, except shortly 
after pay-day. The volunteers are believed to be more tem- 
perate than any European army. Most of the liquor drunk by 
the volunteers is probably obtained from the pie peddlers. When 
other means fail, it is conveyed in the pics. 

In certain regiments containing a large per centage of Ger- 
mans, lager beer has been freely used. There is evidence before 
, the Commission tending to show that its use (at least during the 
summer) was beneficial, and that disorders of the bowels were 
less frequent in companies regularly supplied with it in modera- 
tion than in other companies of the same regiment. 

Discipline. — The daily average of men in the guardhouse was 
reported to have been — 



In 4 


regiments 


- 


7 


8 


do. 


- 


6 


17 


do. 


- 


5 


15 


do. 


- 


4 


39 


do. 


- 


3 


41 


do. 


- 


2 


57 


do. 


- 


1 


4 


do. 


less 


than one 


15 


do. 


not 


stated. 



The average is 2,'^^ men to each regiment. 



a 



35 



Men are generally kept effectually within camp limits. The 
average daily absences from camp were eight for each regiment. 

The Inspectors of the Commission have been instructed to 
give attention to certain matters solely as tests of discipline. 

The reason for this is explained in the following Resolutions, 
adopted by the Commission in July : 

^' Reaolvcd, That the Sanitary Commission, in their endeavors 
to jtromote temperance, cleanliness, and comfort among the 
tr(>ops, have become convinced that the first sanitary law in camp 
and among soldiers is military discipline ; and that unless this 
is vigorously asserted and enforced, it is useless to attempt and 
impossible to effect, by any secondary means, the great end they 
propose — which is the health and happiness of the army. 

"'-Resolved, That looking only to the health and comfort of 
the troops, it is our profound conviction that any special relaxa- 
tion of military discipline in favor of volunteer troops, based 
either upon their supposed unwillingness or inability to endure 
it, or upon the alleged expectation of the public, is a fallacious 
policy, and fraught with peril to the lives of the men and the 
success of the national cause; and that, speaking in the name of 
the families and the communities from which the volunteers come, 
and in the name of humanity and religion, we implore that the 
most thorough system of military discipline be carried out with 
the officers and men of the volunteer force, as the first and es- 
sential condition of their health, comfort, and morality. 

^" Besolved, That the health and comfort, and efficiency of the 
men, is mainly dependent on the uninterrupted presence, the 
personal watchfulness, and the rigid authority of the regimental 
and company officers ; and that all the great defects, whether in 
the commissariat or in the police of camps, are radically due to 
the absence of officers from their posts, and to the laxity of the 
discipline to which they are themselves accustomed — a laxity 
which would never be tolerated amona; regulars, and which, while 
tolerated among our soldiers, will make our force a crowd of 
armed men rather than an army. 

" Resolved, That it is the public conviction of this Commis- 
sion, that the soldiers themselves, in their pai}iful experience of 
the want of leaders and protectors, would heartily welcome a 
rigid discipline exerted over their officers and themselves ; that 
the public would hail .with joy the inauguration of a decisive, 
prompt, and rigid rule, extending alike to officei's and men ; and 
that any despondency or doubt connected with our military and 



iKitional prospects, or with the health and security of our troops, 
wouhl (lisa|)pear with the first indications of rigid oi'der enforced 
with impartial authorit}^ throughout the whole army." 



Tiie opinion is often expressed by professional soldiers that 
an effectively disciplined army can never be made of volunteers, 
and that as undisciplined men can only be used in w'ar in limited 
numbers, chieflj to preserve the fighting force from excessive 
fatigue, it is a waste of the public resources to keep a large volun- 
teer foi-ce in the field. Many volunteers express, in effect, their 
acquiescence in this view, when they say, '' You cannot expect 
volunteers to be as particular as regulars" — an answer constantly 
given to the suggestions of the Inspectors, when they find a regi- 
ment the condition of wdiich is in all respects disgraceful to its 
officers. To the consideration that this war is to be waged 
against volunteers, the reply of those Avho believe that only a 
large army of regulars can prosecute it to a successful end, is, 
that undisciplined forces are much better adapted for defensive 
than for offensive operations, and that volunteers can never be 
pushed to the heart of the rebellion, liowever they may hack at 
its extremities. This view is habitually sustained by those whose 
position entitles their judgment to be regarded with respect, and 
the question whether volunteers can be effectivel}' disciplined 
thus becomes a serious one for the nation, and may be thought 
to give an importance to the information obtained by the Com- 
mission, aside from its sanitary bearing. 

Discipline is a habit of prompt and exact obedience under cer- 
tain authority. Being a habit, it cannot be taken on, except by 
a more or less rapid process of acquirement. So long as progress 
is being made, a satisfactory state of discipline is not only to be 
thought yet possible of attainment, hut it may be probable. 

Tliero have been a few regiments of volunteers in which no 
progress in discipline during a considerable period could be ob- 



(T/ 



served. Special causes were obvious in every such case, and 
they wore notoriously exceptional in character. There is no 
room for doubt tliat in a hirgc majority of the volunteer regi- 
ments there has bfonfrom month to month a perceptible advance 
in discipline. 

This is true not only of those regiments which have been com- 
manded by officers educated at West Point, but of those the 
commanders of which six months ago had never had a sword or 
musket in their hands, never read a militai-y book, never saw a, 
company of soldiers. It is true not only of regiments of voluntcoi s 
the officers of which were selected by the War Department or 
by Gov^ernors, but of tliose which elected their officers. It can- 
not even be said tliat a very marked difference in the progress 
of these different classes is to be observed. The advantage of 
educated and appointed officers over elected civilians is clearly 
manifest only in the fact that the former liave in no case — as far 
as known to the Commission — allowed their regiments to fall 
into the rare, exceptional, excessively demoralized condition before 
referred to. Regiments of volunteers havinc; an unusual strength 
of West Point officers have in all cases been found in a fair state 
of discipline, so that if an order with reference to matters of 
camp-police was given at the suggestion of an Inspector of the 
Commission, it could be assumed that it would not be neglected. 
But this has been equally true of many regiments whose officers 
were taken from civil life and elected. 

It cannot of course be concluded that military education and 
experience is of no value, nor that there are no disadvantages 
attending the election of officers. But it may be fairly concluded 
that a special military education is not at all necessary to ade- 
quate appreciation of the value of discipline or to the enforcement 
of discipline. There is, indeed, room for doubt if the conviction 
which prevails with regular officers of tlie difficulty of enforcing 
discipline with volunteers, and their consccjuent hesitation and 



38 

endeavors to accommodate tlicii- habits to the supposed necessity 
for moderation in the exercise of authority in dealing with vol- 
unteers, is not a greater hindrance to their progress in discipline 
than the inexperience of the officers chosen from among civilians. 

The di.«a(lvantage of the latter is certainly less, and the pro- 
gress of their commands in discipline greater, compared with 
that of regulars and with volunteers commanded by regulars, 
than tlie Commission, influenced by the judgment of experienced 
military advisers, had been led to expect. In not a few cases 
where tlie officers of a regiment appeared at the outset peculiarly 
incompetent, (juite careless of discipline and incapable of estab- 
lishing it, after a few months a very decided improvement has 
been observed. 

To account for this, it is only necessary to reflect that the habit 
of command grows, as well as the habit of obedience, and that if 
an officer does not habitually perform his proper duties, and see 
tiiat the orders whicdi, in the performance of his duties, it is neces- 
sary he should give, are carried out, discomfort is sure to result 
both to iiimself and to his command. Sucii officers, however jiop- 
ular they may have lieen when elected, soon become aware that 
the accidents, privations, and discomforts to which their men, 
through their neglect, are subject, are bringing ridicule, con- 
tempt, and hatred upon themselves, and they are thus drivftn 
to resign, or they fall into practices which cannot be overlooked 
by higher authority, and which lead to their dismissal, or they 
yield more and more to the habit of military authority, and will 
giadually learn that the simplest and easiest, and most popular 
course, is that of the most complete discipline. 

Thus, throughout the volunteer aiiny, the Commission has ..f 
late l)eeii gratified to find the habit slowlv formino- and stremnh- 
euing, the general absence of which in July seemed to involve 
the greatest danger to health. 

Commiseration for what are erroneously considered technical 



^r 



:.;) 



offenders. ;iti<l modevation or neglect in dealing with tlicni, i.s 
costing the country more lives by far than the bullets o!" the 
enemy, and is adding many millions to the expense of the war. 
A strict enforcement of the Arm;/ Regnlatloni^ would do more 
to prevent disease than all that the Commission can recom- 
mend to be done by other means. Neglect in their enforcement 
■will be due less, hereafter, the Commission is convinced, to the 
ignorance and inefficiency of regimental and company officers, 
than to the inade(|nacy of the general staffs foi' their proper in- 
spection, instruction, and superintendence. And it may here be 
proper to observe, that causes of disease and death can often be 
traced with great confidence to the occupation of military officers 
of high rank in merely clerical duties, and to delays and neglects 
which arise from the want of suliicient aids and clerks in admin- 
istrative offices and hcadcj^uarters. There is no office of Govern- 
ment, civil or military, with which the Commission has had fre- 
quent communication, which is not charged with such a weight of 
duties that it is impossible they can be got through with, except at 
an expense of labor to certain individuals, which cannot bo long 
sustained without crippling the faculties which the good of the 
country needs to have constantly exercised in them. 

Meereations. — xVbout one-fifth (1) of the regiments possessed 
libraries, mostly of religious book.-.. They were generally dona- 
tions made to the chaplain."' 



* There is a large religious eletnent in the volunteer f.irce. R-cligious; 
organizations already exist in about half the regiments, and are rapidly in- 
creasing in number. The American Tract Society of Boston alone has dis- 
tributed among them more than 20,000,000 pages, (equal to G0,000 ]2mo. vol- 
umes.) The number of letters written by the volunteers is remarkable, and a 
delightful indication of a fact which should remove all fear of a permanent 
military despotism in this country. In some regiments, of 1,000 men, it hiis 
averaged, for weeks, above six hundred a day. For all the regiments it must 
have been, through the summer, not far from three hundred. In some regi- 
ments, as Wilson's 22d Massachusetts, there is not a man unable (o thu< com- 
municate with his friends at home. 



40 

There is an intense demand for books and periodicals, gener- 
ally of the lighter class, and for newspapers. Reading matter 
of almost every class is gratefully received. The Inspectors are 
able to supply this demand in some small degree from the stores 
consigned to the Commission, bat hospital patients are considered 
to have the first claim upon them. In one case, sixty dollars had 
been subscribed by a com|)any from its ration savings for ne^vs- 
pnpers, a tent having been also got, which was used as a reading 
room. 

In fort^'- two (42) regiments, systematic athletic reci'eations 
(football, base ball, &c.) were general. In one hundred and fifty- 
six (156) there were none. As to two (2) the fact is not reported. 
Where there are none, card-playing and other in-door games 
generally take their place. Tliere is some evidence of serious 
mischief from gambling. Sharpers are believed to have enlisted 
for the purpose of making money as professional gamblers. One 
(a non-commissioned officer) is reported to have boasted of large 
gains, But however this may be, the practice prevents the 
men from maintaining botfi mind an'l body in health by active 
amusement in the open air.* 

Officers have not yet leai-ned that it is a part of their duty to 
influence their men to this end. The observation was made by 
Baron Larrey : " Aftei- the ac ;ustomed military exercises, it is 
" desirable that the men be subjected to legular hours, gymnas- 
" tic amusements, and some mode of useful instruction. It is in 
" thivS manner especially that mutual instruction established 
" among the troops of the line is beneficial to the soldier and the 
" state. Warlike music during their repasts or at their hours 



* In the Second New York Artillery, Major II. P. Roach commanding, the 
men are receiving a regular and thorough gymnastic training. In many re- 
specta this regiment is in a more satisfactory sanitary condition than any other 
inspected to the date of tli's report. 



41 

" of recreation will contribute much to elevate the spirits of the 
" soldier." — Surf/ie d Es.'iciyf!, p. 178, 

Ri'fjimenfnl Bands. — Of two iuindred (200) regiments, one 
hundred and forty-three (143) were provided with bands, fifty- 
three (53) had none, and as to four, (4,) the fact is not reported. 
These bands are not o-enerally of the first order, by any means, 
but are sufficiently good to please and interest the great nifijority 
of the soldiers. The men ai-e almost universally prou<l of their 
band, particularly so if it be of more than average respectability, 
and like to compare it with others which they think infei'ior. It 
is, ill niaiiy instances, supported in considei'able part by a self- 
imr)osed tax on the pay oi" both officers and men, which some- 
times is as high as five per cent. The Inspt'ctors of the Com- 
mission report that this contribution is cheerfully paid. 

They also fcequently report that they have been much struck 
by the value attached by the men to militai-y music on a scale 
larger than that of the bugle, fife, and drum ; and that they are 
satisfied of the wholesome and stimulating inlluence of even a 
third-rate band ; that it raises the spirits of tlie men, warms 
their patiiotism and their professional feeling a^ soldiers, and 
thus actually tends (not so remotely as might at first appear) to 
promote health, discipline, and efficiency. This is particularly 
important in view of the small extent to v.-liicli healthful recrea. 
tions have been introduced into camp. 

Dr. J. IL Douglas, Avho was despatched to Poolesville as 
special Inspector immediately after the battle of Ball's Bluff, 
reported to the Commission on this subject as follows: 

" I am convinced that music in a camp after a battle, whether 
" it is a successful or unsuccessful engagement, is of great im- 
" portance, but especially so after a defeat. One of the soldiers 
" said tome, ' I can fight with ten times more spirit, hearing the 
" band play some of our national airs, than I can v,-ithout the 



42 

" music' Others of the wounded said thoy wished the bands 
" wouhl plaj more frequently." 

Similar remarks have been often reported. 

It is hoped that every encouragement may be given to the 
formation and improvement of regimental bands, so far at least 
as a proper economy will permit. 

Remittances of Pay. — The soldiers of fifty-seven (57") per cent, 
of the regiments had sent home to their families a considerable 
portion of their pay. Of the remainder, many had not been paid 
at the date of inspection. 

The men arc generally disposed to send homo from half to 
three-fourths of their pay, if satisfied that they can do so safely. 

It is respectfully submitted that the remittance of pay by the 
soldiers to those dependent on them should l)e encouraged and 
facilitated in every possible way. 

Jhe practice improves the moral tone of the soldier, by keeping 
up his sense of a continuing relation with his family. It tends to 
preserve him from the vices of the camps, and from becoming a 
mere mercenary man-at-arms, and it thus makes liim a better 
citizen when he returns to civil life. Being most abundantly fed 
and clothed by Government, he scarcely needs money, except 
occasionally to replace some lost or worn-out articles of clothing. 
He can, in fact, in most cases, scarcely spend it otherwi.>!;e, with- 
out positive injury to himself. What is not sent home, is nearly 
certain to be laid out in unwholesome food (pies and the like) 
or more unwholesome drink, to the damage of his health and the 
diminution of his efficiency, to the cost of Government. As a 
general rule, the regimental pay day is immediately followed by 
an enlarged sick list, and a more populous guard-house. 

It is confidently'' believed, that if fifty per cent, of that portion 
of the soldiers' p;iy which he spends in camp were thrown into 



4:3 

the Potomac, he woukl, on the whole, be the gainer, the only loser 
being the sutler and the peddler. 

^Moreover, the neglect to I'cmit the soldier's pay often leaves 
his family dependent on public or private charity. There is 
danger of a great pauper class being thus created, especially in 
our large cities ; and the existence of this class, always most un- 
desirable, will be peculiarly mischievous at the present critical 
peiiod by increasing local taxtition and gimeral distress, weak- 
ening the national resources, and wearying the people of the i)rcs- 
ent just and necessary war. 

The disposition among our soldiers to remit the largest part of 
their pay should, therefore, be gladly encouraged and aided in 
every way by Government, nor ^>hould there be \\\\^ hesitation in 
incurring any reasonable expenditure which will confirm and 
strengthen so gratifying a characteristic. 

Qualifications of Surgeons. — The qualifications of Regimental 
Surgeons, in respect of education and experience, cannot, as a 
general rule, be ascertained by direct inquiry. The Inspectors, 
however, are usually able to form a decided opinion on tliis point, 
by conversation, and by observing the mode in which the surgeon's 
duties are performed. 

They report the Surgeons of one hundred and seventy-six 
(170) out of two hundred (200) regiments in question, sufficiently 
well qualified ; four (4) incompetent ; thirteen (13) of doubtful 
competence; and as to seven (7) regiments, the point is not re- 
ported upon, owing to the absence of the surgeon from his post, 
or to some other reason. 

One hundred and twenty-nine (129) of these Regimental Sur- 
geons are reported as not only competent, but as having discharged 
their duties with creditable energy and earnestness; twenty-five 
(25) to have done so with tolerable attentivencss ; nineteen (19) 
to have been ncfjliffont and inert; of the surgeons of twciitv- 
seven (27) regiments, no distinct opinion is expressed. 



44 

Camp Hospitals. — The arratigement. equipment, and supplies 
of the Regimental Hospitals are reported to have been in one 
hundred and five (10;")) of the regiments, good; fifty-two (")2) 
indifferent or tolerable; twenty-six (20) bad. 

In thirteen (13) regiments, no hospital whatever had been or- 
ganized. As to four, there is no report. 

The folh>wing table shows the aii-a;reirate sircnirlh of the two 
liundieil regiments under consideration. The iiuuiIkms sick in 
hospitals and in quarters ; the projjortion sirk in hospitals and 
([uarters to every 1000 strength, and to cvoy 1000 cases on the 
siek list: 



Of 200 regimentrt Lift visited previous to Nnveni- Aggregate iiniii 
btr. 1801. bei> 




PRESENT 8TI1E.V(5TH ON SICK LIST. 



Strength when luustered.. 
Strength when inspected.. 

On sick list at the time of inspection. . 

Sick ill General Hospiial 

Kegimental Ho.xjiital 
" (Quarter-- 



Proporiion to I'ripcirtion to 
every l.liOi). i every l,i 00. 





i7i;. (;;■;'.) 
17(;,042 


i 












ction 


12,841 


78 


1,(100 




2,756 
2,1)78 
7,112 


16 

17 
-HI 


215 
"8 1 




554 







i^esumc'.-— The table on the following l)age presents a resume 
of the statements which have been given as to the condition of 
two hundred ,1-egiments. The returns of all inspections are re- 
duced to a similar, exact, and concise form, and tlie precise con- 
dition of each regiment, of each biigade, of each division, of each 
department, and of the volunteers from each State, in all the 
particulars indicated, is separately tabulated at the oflice of the 
Commission. The causes of special disease niay thus, sometimes, 
be deitionstraicd in a monuiit. 



z.^ 



o 



Co 



^ 



45 




>3 



S r: ST t S 5 a-i:.k=E=. 



J llfilllf^lil 



Cl .-: CO -T •* -T U5 1- 05 o — Ci r3 o 

£222 oooooooo 



^ 


_r 


X 


> 


— 


''• 


c. 






£ 


> 
















rs 


c 


•3 


2 


1-; 




■A 


t; 


to 



=^-="s 



46 



MORTALITY, DISEASES, AND CASUALTIES. 

Extent and General Character of Disease. — In the army of the 
Potomac, the average constant number of sick, per one thousand 
(1,000) men, has been sixty-three (03;) in the department of 
AVestern Virginia, one hundred and sixty-t\Y0 (102;) in the Val- 
ley of the Mississippi, one hundred and sixteen (HO.) 

The average constant number of sick during the months of 
August, September, and October, in the regiments east and west, 
so far as visited, has been seventy-seven (77) per thousand. In 
this number all relieved from duty, from any sort of physical 
indisposition, however slight, are included. 

At this rate, in order to secure a constantly active force of 
three hundred thousand men, (300,000) the nation must maintain 
in the field an army of about three hundred and twenty-five 
thousand, (325,000.) 

The number of sick varies in different regiments from one- 
third of one (.33) per cent, to forty-nine (49) percent. 

4- 

The average length of time lost for active duty, in each case of 
sickness reported, has been a little more tlian five days, (5.18.) 

The health of the volunteers of the army of the Potomac has 
been slightly better than that indicated by the returns respecting 
the health of the regular army, during the past year. The 
average health of the whole volunteer force in the field has been 
inferior to that of the regulars. 

The average number of men constantly sick in the regiments 
from several of the States respectively, is nearly as follows : 



47 

New York, (per thousand strong,) - - - - oo 

Pennsylvania, " " . . - _ ,^7 

Massachusetts, " '• .... o2 

Connecticut, " '* . . . . 49 

A^ermont, " " - . - - 88 

Maine, " " - - - - Vl\ 

New Jersey, " " . . . - oG 

Wisconsin, " " - - - - 76 

Indiana, " " . ... 42 

Michigan, " " . - . 76 

Illinois, " " ... - 156 

Ohio, " " ... - 1<)2 

Data derived from reginjients of States not included in the above 
list are too limited to be of use. The forces from Ohio and some 
other States have been, to a considerable extent, subject to unusual 
privations and exposure, during the campaign among the mountains 
of Western Virginia. A similar remark applies to those of Illinois 
in Missouri. There is reason to think that the most sickness has 
occurred where regiments, raised in far northern and highland 
districts, have been removed to lowland, fluvial, and seaboard 
districts ; those, for instance, from Maine and A^ermont, the ridge 
counties of New York, and from Minnesota, being more subject 
to distinct disease, as well as to demoralization, or ill-defined 
nostalgia, than others in the army of the Potomac. The healthi- 
est regiments, physically and morally, have been those from the 
seaboards, as of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, 
Connecticut and New Jersey ; those from Rhode Island being 
probably the most fortunate in this respect, which fact, liowever, 
is chiefly due to their superior discipline early in the campaign. 

It is difficult to compare the rate of sickness of foreign armies 
with that of the volunteers, because it is uncertain what degree 
of sickness in them places a man upon the sick list. Our volun- 



48 

teer surgeons are, uruloubtedly, very accommodating in this re- 
spect, probably more so tlian the surgeons of the regular army 
or of foreign armies. It has happened in more than one instance 
that upon an order to advance against the enemy being given, 
every man of a regiment then on the sick list immediately re- 
ported himself well, was discharged, and shouldered his musket 
in the line of battle. It is probable that at least one-half those 
returned as sick by the surgeons of volunteers would do the same, 
under similar circumstances ; that proportion being excused from 
duty on account of a cold in the head, severe fatigue, or a slight 
indigestion. 

In the whole British army, in time of peace, 6.5 per cent, of 
the force otherwise available, is reported constantly "in hospital." 
Of the British army in the Peninsula under the Duke of Wellington, 
1808-1814, 21 per cent, (or 9,300 of an average force of 
44,500 men) was constantly '• sick in hospital." The number of 
sick ranged from 9 to 33 per cent, of the whole force at different 
periods. 

^4^hese rates were exceeded in the British army of the Crimea. 
To maintain 100 effective soldiers in the field, it there became 
necessary to provide for 2(3.6 sick men. The annual rate of 
mortality was 8 per cent, by wounds, and 20 per cent, by 
disease. 

The annual rate of mortality in the British army, at home and 
in time of peace, was from 1.1 to 2 per cent, in the ten years pre- 
ceding 1847. 

The average mortality of the army of the Potomac has been, 
during the summer, at the rate of 3A- per cent., (allowance being 
made for those who die after their discharge, from causes con- 
nected with army life.) Imperfect data received from the West 
indicate a considerably larger rate for the whole arm3^ ; prob- 
ably it will not be far from 5 per cent, if sweeping epidemics 
should be escaped. 



XT 

Mortality IVoiii disease, in tlie Royal Navy of Great Britain, is 
140 per cent, greater in time of war than of peace ; rising from 
an annual rate of 15 or IG to one of 37 or o8 per 1,000 strength. 
The principal increase of the deaths in the navy, in time of war, 
is from disease; the amount of increase from casualties hcing com- 
monly quite inconsiderahlo. 

The following statement exhibits a classification of the cases 
of disease in the volunteer army during a portion of the cam- 
paign, showing, also, the per centage of casualties of all kinds 
(wounds, accidents, &c.) for the same period, compared with 
like returns from the army of the Crimea, from April 10, 1854, 
to June 30, 1850 : 











Arniy of the 


Ami}' of 


Ariiiyof the CiiiiiCH, 










Votoniao. 


the WcHt. 


Ap 10, '.■)4, to June 

ol', 18CC.. 


Zymotic disease. 


(per 


cent, 


.) 


- 61.1 


7G.4 


G9.8 


Constitutional, 








- 1.2 


.() 


.5 


Local, 


a 






- 30.7 


17.3 


15.G 


Developmental, 


a 






- 3.4 


3.5 


.1 


A'iolence, 


a 






- 3.G 


2.2 


14.0 



All cases - 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Two most important facts appear on the face of this table : 
first, the immense disproportion between cases of disease and of 
violence, fully justifying all that has been asserted as to the loss 
an army in the field must expect to sustain from these causes 
respectively ; and, secondly, the great excess of zymotic diseases, 
nearly all of which are, in a greater or less degree, prevcntible by 
proper precautions. For instance, typhus can be almost certainly 
averted by systematic attention to cleanliness and ventilation, small- 
pox by vaccination, and malarious diso.ises (intermittent fever, 
(fee.) by quinine. It seems apparent, therefore, that it is within 
the power of Government, either by the action of the War De- 
4 



parriucnt or liy legislation, to eiif'oi'ce niU's tlmt will most mate- 
rially (liininisli the Avaste of efficiency by disease, and the conse- 
<iuent cost of the present war. 

Quinine as a I^rophi/lactic. — In connection Avith the subject 
of malarial disease, above alluded to, attention is respectfully 
called to the evidence collected in a report prepared f\)r the Com- 
mission, on the value of quinine as a prophylactic airainst dis- 
orders of that class. 

In conformity with the views therein expressed, the Commis- 
sion has, at a cost of five hundred dollars, since September last, 
in various urgent cases, issued to regimental sui'geons, at their 
request, two hundred and twenty gallons of the solution of sul- 
phate of quinine in spirits (•'quinine bitters") for the use of their 
men, under their own supervision. This has been done in the 
case of regiments Avhich, from the peculiarly exposed situation 
of their camps, or from an inspection of their sick list, seemed in 
peculiar danger from disease of a malarious type. A reduction 
of the sick list, and a marked improvement in the health and 
efficiency of the men, has followed in every instance. The results 
of this trial induced the Medical Director of the army of the 
Potomac to request from the Surgeon General authority to supply 
qninino for use as a preventive, and not merely as a remedy ; 
and this request has been so far complied with as to authorize its 
use for that purpose in certain specified regiments alone. 

The following extract from a repoi't made by Surgeon C. A. 
Chamberlain, of the 10th Massachusetts A'olunteers, shows the 
effect of the use of quinine in that regiment as a preventive of 
disease. 

After stating that malarious disease prevailed extensively 
among his men, Dr. Chamberlain proceeds to say : 

''Believing that, hy {\\o administration of (juinine to the men 



Uo 



'' as a prophylactic, we could dimiuisli the uuiouiit (;f \\w ili.<('.is',' 
" in the regiment, I applied to the Board of Sanitary Connuis. 
" sioners, and was kindly furnished with twenty-three gallons of 
" whiskey, containing in each ounce two grains of quinine. Oar 
" morning repoi'ts at the time show an average of fifty men 
" unfit for duty, besides those in hospital, of which there were 
" usually twenty. The medicine was given to all who were de- 
" bilitated, or who showed any symptoms of approaching disease, 
" in doses of one to two ounces, once or twice a day. * * * * * 

"Most of them grew stronger and better able to discharge their 
'• duties, their appetites were increased, they seemed less sus- 
'' ceptible to colds and coughs, and those wdio w^ould doubtless 
" have suffered an attack of malarial fever, were saved from it. 
" The testimony of the morning reports of the sick is equally 
" emphatic, bringing their number down gradually from fifty or 
" sixty daily to ttventy-five. Had we been supplied with a sufii- 
'•" cient quantity, I have no doubt that our regiment would have 
" been saved from much of the sickness which we have since 
*' experienced, and it would, perhaps, also have prevented the 
" necessity of losing one or two valuable lives. 

" Immediately after our supply was exhausted, or very soon 
" afterwards, the number of sick increased, and our reports show 
" an average of about fifty men returned to quarters." 

DISPOSITION OF TJIE SICK. 

Of the average number on the sick list, for the entire numl)er of 
regiments visited, 59 per cent, are represented as sick in quarters, 
24 per cent, in regimental hospital, and 17 per cent, in general 
hospital. 

Returns for the months of September and October. 1m31, of 
six general hospitals at Washington, Georgetown, and Aiixan- 
dria, yield the following tabulated results : 



o2 

September. October. 

Aggregate of cases treatetl in hospitals 2078 1963 

Proportion to evenj 1(^00 trcalrd in lioxpitah dnriiKj l/ir month 

Remaining at previous report — 445 400 

Adnaitted during the niontli 555 531 

1000 1000 

Convalescents sent to Baltimore and Annapolis 187 221 

Returned to duty 204 261 

i.)n furlougli .88 

Discharged from service — 8 3 

Deserted 6 7 

Died 54 54 

Remaining at end of month 443 446 

1000 1000 

• - 

Proportion to 1000 remain iniy nick. 

Sick G50 571 

Convalescent 350 420 

1000 1000 



Thus it appears that the number of cases treated in the month 
of October (1003) in the general hospitals above mentioned was 
somewhat smaller than that of September (2078) ; that the ])ro- 
portion of patients transferred to tht; convalescent hospitals at 
Annapolis and Baltimore was somewhat greater in October 
(221 per 1000) than in September (187 per 1000); that a some- 
what smaller proportion returned to duty ; that the proportions 
absent on furlough, the proportions who deserted, the rates 
of mortality, and the proportion of cases remaining in the hospi- 



tals, at the end of tlic respective months, do not appreciably 
differ. The proportion of convalescents among those remaining 
in hospital at the end of the month Avas larger for October (429 
per 1000) than for September (850 per 1000.) 

It also appears that the average period of continuance of 
patients in these general hospitals is twenty-four (21) days. 

Prevalent Diseases. — The following is a statistical classifica- 
tion of the diseases and casualties of forty-seven regiments of 
volunteers and two of regulars, during periods averaging forty 
days for each regiment, betAveen July 1st and October 1st, 1801. 

The classification adopted is that used in the British army, 
and for civil registration in England, Australia, and several of 
the States of the Union. 

The imperfect nomenclature which the regimental sui'geons are 
obliged to adopt under the existing regulations, is necessarily 
followed, the Latin, however, being generally translated. 

The data are taken from the consolidated returns of the regi- 
mental surgeons to the medical directors of the military depsirt- 
ments of the Potomac, and of the West. 

The present army classification and nomenclature of diseases 
originated a century ago, when pathological science was much 
less advanced than at present ; it is comparable with the present 
system of no other army, and is universally considered by 
medical statists to be very defective. The adoi)tion of a more 
complete and accurate system of army vital statistics is respect- 
fully advised, analogous to and comparable with the systems in 
use in other civilized countries. If it is desired that the records 
of the medical department shall contribute to the advance of the 
science of preserving human life, the importance of a change by 
Avhich they may be more readily compared with those of other 
armies and communities is too obvious to need artrument. 



54 



Diseases and Casualties of the Army statistically classified. 



I 

II 

III 

IV 

V 



II 



III 



IV 1-3 

I 4 



NDMBEK OF CASES TREATED. 



Diseases, etc. 



>.a 



"^■S. 



ALL CASES : 15,439 j 12,215 27,054 

SPECIFIED CASES 15,439 12,087 27,520 



(Classes.) 

Zymotic Diseases 9,437 

Constitutional Diseases 193 

Local Diseases 4,737 

Developjiental Diseases 520 

Violence 552 



228 


18,005 


77 


270 


080 


0,823 


427 


947 


209 


821 



(Orders.) 



Miasmatic 
EiUhcUc. . 

Dietic 

I'arasilic. . 



1 ] Diathetic. . 

2 I Tubercular 



Nervous System 

Organs of Circulation 

jRe.fpiratori/ Organs 

Digestive Organs 1, 

Urinarij Organs 

Generative Organs 

Organs of Locomotion 149 

Integumentary System 037 



8,821 


9,005 


17,886 


551 


132 


683 


53 


30 


83 


12 


1 


13 


86 


25 


111 


107 


52 


159 


1.122 


270 


1,398 


51 


9 


60 


817 


270 


1,098 


1,767 


1,237 


2,994 


107 


33 


140 


97 


■*3 


120 



Z05 



Not occurring in the army 
Diseases of Nutrition 



Accident and ) 
Battle I ■• 

Homicide 

Suicide 

Punishment and 
'xecuticn 



520 



551 



{^' 



427 

268 

1 



170 

842 



Causes not specified. 



947 
819 

1 
1 

128 



^J 



i)ii 



DLSKASES AND CASUAI/l'lHS— Coiitinue.l. 



Diseases, etc. 



NUMBER OF CASES TREATKI). 



(Diseases.) 
CLASS I.— Zymotic. 
Order 1. — Miasmatic. 



Small-Pox.... 

Varioloid 

Measles 

Scarlet fever 



Uiun^y 

Mumps 

Influenza 

Catarrh 

Opiitlialmia 

Typhoid fever 

Typhus 

Congestive fever... 

Continued fever 

Erysipelas 

Carbuncle 

Dysentery 

Diarrhoea 

Cholera morbus 

Cholera Asiatica.... 
Intermittent fever. 

Remittent fever 

Yellow fever 

Rheumatism 

All other fevers 



Order 2. — Enthetic. 



Gonorrhoea 

Syphilis 

Bubo 

Stricture of urethra. 
Cachexia 



Order 3. — Dielic. 



Scurvy 

Alcholism 



224 

183 
127 

17 
626 

97 

156 

1 



81 

618 

3,667 

2-59 

1 

1,178 

639 

720 
190 



308 

159 

54 

29 

1 



4 
49 



Orker 4. — Parasitic 



Worms 






482 

1 

20 

54 

171 

140 

131 

14 

18 

?P 

16 

4 

527 

3,362 



2,868 
839 



163 
193 



63 

57 

6 

3 

3 



21 
9 



12 



706 

1 

203 

181 

17 

797 

237 

287 

15 

18 

39 

68 

85 

1,145 

7,029 

282 

1 

4,046 

1,478 

883 
383 



'.71 
60 



25 
58 



13 



OG 



1)1SI:AS1::S ANI) ("ASUALTILS— Continued. 



Diseases, etc. 



NUMBER OF CASES TUSATED. 



CLASS II. — Constitutional. 
Ordkr 1. — Dialhedc. 



II 



Gout 

Lumbago 

Anasarca 

Cancer 

All other diseases of this order. 

OuBKK 2. — Tubercular. 



II 



2 j Scrofula 

I Phthisis, (cotiKumption of lungs) 

I Iltcmoptj'feis 

Aua>mia 



Ill 



CLASS III.— LocAi,. 

Order 1. — Nervous Si/stem. 

Apoplex}' 

Headache 

liifi immation of Brain 

Chorea, (St. Vitus' dance) 

Epilepsy 

Sun stroke 

Spinal irritation 

Slania 

Melancholy 

Neuralgia 

Paralysis 

Nyctalopia 

Hemeralopia 

Retinitis, (inflammation of retina 

Iritis 

Amaurosis 

Cataract 

Earache 

Otitis, (inflammation of ear) 

Otorrhoea, (discharge from ear).. 

Deafness 

Delirium tremens 

Nostalgia, (home sickness) 

Toothache 

Tetanus 

All other diseases of this order.. . 



14 
51 
21 
21 






19 
6 



19 
11 
15 



281 



51 



1 

92 
10 



21 
70 

32 
30 



3 


- 


•) 


29 


7 


30 


31 


7 


38 


9 


_ 


9 


8 




3 


7 


5 


12 


120 


73 


193 


4 


1 


5 


1 


_ 


] 


_ 


1 


1 


97 


_ 


97 


5 


1 


6 


_ 


1 


1 


4 




4 


105 


6 


111 


67 


8 


75 


75 


1 


76 


10 


2 


12 


12 


8 


20 


1^-^ 


73 


258 




o 


•1 


r.4 


29 


93 



^^/ 



57 



DISEASES AND CASUALTIES— Continued. 



Diseases, etc. 



CLASS IIL — Local — Continued. 

Order 2. — Organs of Circulation. 

Aneurism 

Angina pectoris 

Carditis 

Endocarditis 

Pericarditis 

Inflammation of Vein 

Varix 

Htematocele 

All other diseases of the organs of 
circulation 



Ordkr 3. — Jiespiratori/ Organs. 

Asthma 

Bronchitis acute 

" chronic 

Laryngitis 

Pleurisy 

Pneumonia, (inflammation of lungs).. 

Hydrothorax 

Epistaxis, (bleeding at the nose) 

All other diseases of respiratory organs 



Order 4. — Digestive Organs. 

Constipation 

Colic 

Dyspepsia 

Enteritis, (inflammation of bowels).. 
Gastritis, (inflammation of stomach) 

Hiematemesis 

Inflammation of liver, acute 

" " chronic 

Fistula 

Jaundice 

Peritoniiis 

Splenitis, (inflammation of spleen)... 

Hernia 

Haemorrhoids 

Prolapsus ani 

Ascites 

Other diseases of digestive organs... 



NUMBER OF CASES TREATED. 



20 

;}50 

(55 

22 

112 

45 



17tj 



3 

140 

14 

2 

2!t 
41 



47 



629 


505 


1,134 


834 


82 


416 


158 


19 


177 


19 


2 


21 


39 


18 


57 


8 


2 


10 


38 


218 


256 


32 


42 


74 


35 


_ 


35 


33 


50 


83 


15 


_ 


15 


2 


30 


32 


97 


9 


106 


141 


33 


174 


12 


_ 


12 


1 


_ 


1 


1G4 


227 


391 






4 

9 
2 
3 
1 
23 



IG 



490 
79 
24 

141 

86 

27 
223 



58 



1>1SEASES and casualties— Continued. 





o 
5 

() 
, 7 

8 


Diseases, etc. 


ndmiser of cases 


treated. 


00 

<! 

u 




Army of 
the TFest. 


4> 

<1 


III 


CLASS III.— Local— Continued. 

Order 5. — Urinary Organs. 

Calculus 

Inflammation of bladder 


10 
6 
6 

1 ^ 
23 

25 

19 

11 


1 

5 
10 
8 
1 
8 


10 

7 




Diabetes 


6 




Enuresis 


12 




Ischuria et Dysuria 


33 




Inflammation of kidney 

Ulcus penis non syphiliticum 


33 
20 




Other diseases, of the urinary organs... 

Order (i. — Generative Organit. 
Varicocele 


19 


HI 


27 

63 

2 

5 


2 
19 

2 


29 




Orchitis 


82 


■ 


Sarcocele 


2 




Hydrocele 


7 


• 


Order 7. — Organs of Locomotion. 
Hydrarthrus 




I!T 


17 

13 

4 

3 

112 


2 
1 

24 


19 




Anchylosis 


13 




Exostosis 


5 




Necrosis 


3 




Other diseases of this order 

i 

Order 8. — Integumentary System. 
Abscess 


136 


ITT 


133 51 
79 6 
63 20 

116 50 

7 - 

239 78 


184 




Whitlow, or felon 


85 




Phelgmon 


83 




Ulcer 


166 




Tumor 






Other diseases of the integumentary 
system 


317 


IV 


( 
4 


CLASS IV. — Developmental. 

)rder 1-3.— (Not applicable to the 
Army. ) 

Order 4. — Diseases of Nutrition. 

Atrophy and debility [ 


520 


427 


947 



59 



DISEASES AND CASUALTIES— Continued. 



^o 





H 
P 

O 


Diseases, etc. 


NUMBER 


OF CASES TREATED. 


CO 

< 


S o 
<1 


Army of 
the West. 


Aggregate. 


V 


1 

4 

5 


CLASS v.— Violence. 


20 

5 

I 

135 

15 

1 

21 

51 

84 

23 

50 

6 

60 

79 


5 

2 
102 



1 
14 
33 
24 

8 
18 

5 
36 

14 


25 






5 






3 






237 




Fracture 

Frost 


21 






35 






84 




Lacerated or contused wound 


108 
31 






68 




Poison 

Wound by incision 


11 

9(i 




Bite of Serpent 


_ 






93 




SOICIDE 




V 


- 


1 


1 




Punishment and Execution 




V 


1 


- 


1 










- 


128 


128 









On the next page is a table by which the distribution, accord- 
ing to Statistical Classes, of the diseases and casualties of the 
same portion of the forces of the United States (1861) may be 
compared with those of the British army when in the Crimea. 



60 



Number of Diseases and Casualties of each Class and Order to 
1,000 cases treated. 



m 

•< 
u 


P 

ca 

o 


DlSE.\SE8, ETC. 


o 
o 

o a 

a 
ii 

< 


s 

(I 

< 

1000 


"5 
"o 
Eh 


Army of the 
Crimea, April 10, 
1854, (0 June 30, 
1856. 






ALL SPECIFIED CASES 


1000 


1000 


1000 








T 


1 
2 
3 
4 

1 
2 

1 
2 
3 
4 

5 
6 
7 
8 

4 

1 
2 
3 
4 

5 


Zymotic Diseases 


611 
12 

307 
34 
36 


764 
6 

173 
35 
22 


678 
10 

248 
34 
30 


698 


TT 


Constitutional Diseases 


5 


TTT 


Local Diseases 


156 


TV 


Developmental Diseases 


1 


V 


Violence 


140 








I 


(Orders.) 
Miasmatic 


571 

36 

3 

1 


750 

11 

3 


650 

25 

3 


673 




Enthelic 

Dietic 


23 

9 




Parasitic 




t 
II 


Diathetic 




5 

7 


2 
4 


4 

6 


3 




Tubercular 


') 




Nervous System 




III 


73 
3 

53 

114 

7 

6 

10 

41 


23 
1 

23 

102 

8 

2 

2 

17 


51 
2 

40 

109 

5 

4 

6 

31 


25 




Organs of Circulation 


2 




Respiratory Organs 


16 




JJii/estive Ori/ans 


29 




Urinary Organs 


1 




Generative Organs 






Organs of Locomotion 


1 




Integumentary Si/stem 


82 




Diseases of Nutrition 




IV 


34 


35 


34 


1 




Accident and ) 




V 


36 


22 


30 


t 114 




Battle i 

Homicide 




Suicide 


11 




f Punishment and "1 






{ Execution j 





Note. — This table maybe read thu.s : Of every 1000 cases of disease and 
casualty occurring in the army of flie Potomac, Oil were of the class called 
the Zymotic, (comprising epidemic, endemic, and contagious diseases.) 

571 of these Zymotic diseases were of the Miasmatic order. 



S / 

61 

Tendencies of Disease. — Diseases of a malarial type, \vliiL'h 
till recently have most given occasion for anxiety, are noAv be- 
ginning somewhat to decline. On the other hand, there is a 
slight but appreciable increase in cases of disease appropriate 
to the winter months, as severe colds, inflammations, pulmonary 
affections, and acute rheumatism. 

Typhus. — To this must unfortunately be added a decided in- 
crease of typhus fever. This term is used to indicate not the 
typhoidal aspect occasionally assumed by other forms of disease, 
but the formidable and infectious disorder, known, according to 
the conditions that produce it, as "camp fever," "ship fever," 
" hospital fever," &c. Its appearance is traceable to the natural 
disposition of soldiers to shut themselves up in their tents or huts 
as much and as closely as possible in cold weather. In many 
camps they have already been allowed to commence a system of 
suicide by excavating the ground within their lodgings, and 
throwing up banks of eartli against their -walls or curtains. This 
practice, which, as is well known, occasioned a great loss of life 
in the British army during the Crimean war, should be at once 
forbidden, and full ventilation of tents at night made compul- 
sory, even at some real or imaginary expense of comfort. The 
Inspectors of the Commission are unable to act with adequate 
eflfect against this danger. An extensive outbreak of typhus 
would be exceedingly demoralizing as well as destructive, and it 
would be better that double or triple the usual allowance of 
blankets and of flannel shirts should be distributed to the men 
in camps, even if the issue should be left behind or thrown away 
at the first movement, than they should be indulged in their dis- 
position to burrow or seal themselves in their lodgings. 

Measles and Small- P 02% — Measles and small-pox are also com- 
mon, the latter sufficiently so to justify uneasiness. Inspectors 



62 

of the Commission have been called upon by regimental surgeons 
almost daily during the last month, for a supply of vaccine virus, 
the reason assigned by them being that it could not be obtained 
from the jNledical Bureau. The supply at Washington, under 
the control of the medical authorities, was reported to be en- 
tirely exhausted on the 6th inst. There has been no general 
re-vaccination in the army, and many regiments are now in serious 
danger from this disease. 

The Commission has constantly urged the importance of atten- 
tion to this subject, and has been partially able to supply the 
existing deficiency, by purchasing and issuing to regimental sur- 
geons the vaccine matter they stated themselves unable to ob- 
tain from the regular sources. Its organization and means are, 
of course, not sufficient to comprehend the whole array. It has, 
however, provided for the vaccination of more than twenty thou- 
sand men. 

' Most cases of small-pox that have occurred in the army of the 
Potomac are attributed by the regimental surgeons to the ab- 
sence of means for a proper isolation of the sick. Small-pox 
patients have been conveyed to general hospital in the ambu- 
lances and on the cushions used by the sick and wounded 
generall}'. What is still more unfortunate, all cases of erup- 
tive disease have hitherto been accommodated in one special 
hospital. In this hospital, overcrowded* and most imperfectly 

* The overcrowded condition of the hospital has frequeutly led to the dis- 
charge of patients before their convalescence was established While tliis re- 
port is preparing, the following statement is made by an inspector, in connec- 
tion with his return for a New York regiment: 

" I observed the funeral of a soldier in progress, and asking for a history 
of his case, received the following statement from the colonel and sur- 
geon : A few days previous he had been sent to the hospital for eruptive dis- 
eases at ' Kalorama.' He was, when sent, in the early stages of measles. 
On the evening of the day thereafter, to the surprise of the surgeon, he reap- 
peared in camp, in an exhausted and distressed condition. He said that he h- ' 



3t 

provided with bedding and supplies of every description, all 
cases of eruptive disorders have been placed in close juxtaposition 
and without adequate precautions against the communication of 
small-pox to patients under treatment for other diseases. 

As a natural consequence of this oversight, several instances 
have occurred during the last two months in which patients dis- 
charged from this hospital cured of measles, &c., have, on rejoin- 
ing their regiments, been attacked with small-pox, apparently 
contracted in hospital, and have communicated it to their com- 
rades. 

The following cases of small-pox have been reported to the 
Commission by the surgeons of the respective regiments, as 
directly traceable to this cause, viz : 

In the 8th regiment Maine Volunteers 7 

8th " New Jersey " 3 

1st " New York Artillery 3 

Harris's Light Cavalry 2 

7th regiment Wisconsin Volunteers 9 

19th Indiana Volunteers 5 

And it is to be feared that the list could be enlarged by special 
inquiry. 

The disease has been communicated to the 4th Pennsylvania 
cavalry by one of these regiments encamped near it. Of the 
nine men belonged to the Wisconsin regiment, three have died, 
and the same number of the Indiana regiment. In the 8th 
regiment of Maine Volunteers, the disease communicated to 
them broke out when they were on the eve of their depar- 

been discharged from the hospital, and, in the evening of a December day, 
obliged to walk back to his regiment. lie was immediately taken to the regi- 
mental hospital, and assiduously attended upon. But notwithstanding all 
efforts to save his life, he died during the same night from bronchial and laryn- 
geal congestion consequent upon exhaustion and exposure." 



t>4 

ture from Annapolis for Port Royal, and the most serious 
mischief was only prevented by the energetic action of Dr. 
Cooper, the Medical Director of that expedition, who instantly 
transferred all who had been in any way exposed to infection 
from camp to the navy yard. Nevertheless, the 21st Massa- 
chusetts regiment, then engaged in guard duty at the navy yard, 
was infected, and up to the 28th November, twenty-five cases of 
variolous disease had occurred among the troops at Annapolis, 
five of which proved fatal. 

The 8th Maine did not entirely escape the disease even after 
leaving all supposed to be infected behind. The last arrival 
from Port Royal brings news of the death of one member 
of that regiment, and of three deaths in the Michigan 8th from 
varioloid. 



MILITARY HOSPITALS. 

At the close of the October session of the Commission it was un- 
derstood that Government would at once commence the erection 
of two cheap temporary model hospitals at Washington, in con- 
formity with plans carefully prepared by a committee of the 
medical members of the Commission, and approved by it as em- 
bodying the latest results of sanitary science. These plans have 
been formally approved by the Quartermaster General, the 
Commander in Chief, and the Medical Director of the army of 
the Potomac, and the ground for the example buildings has been 
staked out. But their erection is not yet commenced. As the 
Commission believe that a large amount of hospital space of the 
character provided for in these plans is urgently demanded from 
considerations of economy as well as of humanity, it is hoped 
that there will be no unnecessary delay in their completion and 
equipment. 



Defects in present Hospital Arranf/e/nents. — Tlu* dt-fects and 
sources of mischief in the general hospitals at and around "Wash- 
ington and elsewhere, which have been under consideration by 
the Commission at each of its sessions, and against which it has 
repeatedly remonstrated, continue without material change. An 
unfortunate personal difficulty between two medical officers of 
high position is believed to stand in the way of the measures 
necessar}'^ to bring these establishments up to anything approach- 
ing the lowest standard that would be tolerated in any civil hos- 
pititl. 

No fact in sanitary science is better established than this, that 
old buildings, such as hotels, academies, store-houses, ikc, are, 
from their want of systematic ventilation and other reasons, most 
unfit to be used as hospitals on any large scale, and that, even in 
inclement weather, tents or the rudest shanties are preferable. 
During warm weather, while every door and window is kept open, 
especially if the buildings are newly occupied, the evil is less 
felt ; but in the winter months, when doors and windows are sure 
to be kept closely shut, it is almost certain to show itself in the 
form of hospital fever, erysipelas, and other formidable diseases, 
and in the general depression and tedious convalescence of those 
patients who escape them. The Commission has formally ap- 
plied to the Meilical Bureau to take steps to improve the venti- 
lation of these buildings occupied as hospitals near Washington. 
Some steps have been taken to this end, but they are reported 
by the Inspectors of the Commission to be inadequate. 

Complaint is made by officers of the Medical Bureau that regi- 
mental surgeons are tardy in sending their sick to general hos- 
pitals — that they are often detained in regimental hospitals till 
past cure. A large portion of the mortality in general hospitals 
is thought to be accounted for by this alleged fact. 

This tardiness is in many cases to be explained by the feeling 
5 



6»J 

of discouragement frequently expressed by regimental surgeons 
ill regard to general hospitals. Men sent to these establishments 
when laboring under the severest forms of disease are reported 
to have been frequently turned from their doors, after a long 
and tedious journey, and sent back to their regiments, because 
the hospital was full, or because there was some formal defect 
in their papers. In some instances, such men have spent the 
night in an ambulance at the hospital door. 

Relations between General and Regimental Hospitals. — It is 
manifest that the relations between general and regimental hos- 
pitals, and between the surgeons of regiments and those in charge 
of general hospitals, are in an unsettled condition, which practi- 
cally leads to great suffering and the loss of many lives. 

Technical Difficulties in the Hospital System. — Mere technical 
defects and irregularities in the permits for admission to general 
hospitals, and also in the requisitions of regimental surgeons for 
their medicines and other supplies, are the daily cause of much 
mischief, and of what seems most unnecessary suffering. 

This will be best illustrated by a statement of a single case 
which happens to be reported by the surgeon interested while 
this portion of the report is in preparation. It is by no means 
of peculiar or unusual hardship, and is merely a specimen of 
hundreds in which the Commission has been appealed to for 
relief. 

A volunteer surgeon, whose regiment is encamped at a distance 
of several miles from the depot of military supplies for his divis- 
ion, and who has in his hospital a large number of sick requiring 
his constant personal attention, applies to the proper officer for a 
hospital stove. Ilis requisition is in all respects regular, except 
that he has forgotten or neglected to get it countersigned by the 



^^/ 



general ocunnandiiig his bi-ii!;;i(le. It is, therefore, haiideil back 
to him for correction. He returns to cauip. After spendinj^; at 
least another day in pursuit of this officer, he succeeds in findint]; 
him, in getting access to him, in gaining his attention, and 
obtaining his approval and the required signature. lie devotes 
another day to another expedition to headquarters with his 
wagon for the transportation of the stove, and presents his re- 
quisition as amended. The name of the brigadier general 
appended to it is well known. But the requisition is still defec- 
tive. The general has hastily subscribed his name in the proper 
place upon the printed blank, but has neglected to append his 
title. For this reason, as the surgeon is given to understand, the 
stove cannot be issued, and he goes back to camp w'ithout it 
to spend two or three days more in pursuit of tjie general. 

Whether the sick men in this regiment sustained serious harm 
or any harm from the absence of the surgeon, or for want of the 
stove, it is needless to inquire. They certainly may have suffered 
fatally. Unless the surgeon considered a stove necessary for 
them, it is to be presumed he Avould not have taken all this trouble 
to procure one. But many analogous cases have been reported 
to the Commission, in which hospital patients were in imminent 
danger from like delays, and in which the Commission has sup- 
plied from its own stores the few dollars' worth of necessaries 
required to save them. 

There is little room for doubt that many lives have already 
been lost from mere technical and formal obstacles to their pres- 
ervation. It is respectfully submitted that some remedy should 
be applied to this evil. The inevitable consumption of life 
in military hospitals is sufficiently appalling without any in- 
crease from merely artificial difficulties. Official forms luid rules 
are indispensable to the Medical Bureau and Quartermaster's 



Department, as to every other department of Government, and 
all -who hold official relations with either, are in duty bound, as 
rapidly as possible, to inform themselves as to the details of its 
system, and govern themselves accordingly. But if tliis system 
be not adapted to the new order of things, and to the wants of 
the volunteer army — a question on which it is not intended to 
express an opinion — it seems plain that the system should be 
changed. 

If the regulations to which surgeons must conform before they 
can obtain medicines for their patients be too complex and 
elaborate for the comprehension of the average volunteer surgeon, 
without military education or experience, the interests of half a 
million volunteer soldiers require that these regulations be re- 
vised and simplified, even at some little expense of official pre- 
cision, and of checks against waste and improvidence. 

If, on the other hand, these regulations be in fact fairly within 
the comprehension of any man of ordinary capacity Avho will 
take the trouble to study them attentively and learn his duty, 
volunteer sui'geons should be expected and requested to comply 
with them, and any failures to do so, in matters involving the 
health or comfort of their patients, should subject them to mili- 
tary discijiline. 

A more liberal discretionary power should also be expressly 
vested in the Medical Bureau, in directors of hospitals,and in cer- 
tain easily accessible officers of the Quartermaster's Department, 
to waive strict technical accuracy in requisitions for hospital 
supplies and in hospital permits, whenever they are satisfied that 
the interests of the service will suff'er no substantial detriment. 



MEDICAL AND SURGICAL SERVICE OF THE ARMY. 

Regular Service. — Admission to the medical staff of the regular 
army is attained through a successful examination by a board of 



G9 

army surgeons appointed by the Surgeon General on the order of 
the Secretary of War. The candidates approved by the board are 
entitled to appointment as assistant surgeons in the order of merit 
as vacancies occur. The test of fitness imposed by these army 
boards of examination has hitherto been a thorough one, and has 
secured to the service young men of more tlian average ability, who 
only need encouragement to advance in professional attainments, 
in order to maintain an eminent position as scientific physicians. 

Unfortunately this encouragement is not affoi'ded them. The 
policy of the Government has not heretofore been such as to 
develop a high degree of professional acquirement. The assist- 
ant surgeon, as soon as he is commissioned, has generally been 
sent to a distant frontier, where he serves for several years as 
physician at a small military post, the garrison of which rarely 
consists of more than two companies, often of one of only ninety 
men. As soon as convenient after five j'ears' service, he has, 
after a short furlough, been submitted to examination for the 
grade of suro;eon, which terminatinrr in his favor, he is trans- 
ferred to another frontier post, where he again passes several 
years without an opportunity of visiting any seat of medical 
learning, or of renewing by dissection, as he only can at a 
medical centre, his familiarity w^ith practical anatomy. During 
most of this time his experience is, in many instances, limited to 
a small amount yearly of indigenous disease, and a few trifling 
accidents, and he is thus practically unfitted for ])rofessional 
responsibilities of a wider range. 

The administrative duties of his office tend, at the same time, 
to interfere with the proper exercise of the higher scientific 
duties of his profession, and the careful preparation of a de- 
tailed monthly report often gets to be considered more creditable 
than the prevention, by professional foresight, of an epidemic. 
Thus the army surgeon, by the time he reaches middle life, is 



70 

in danger of becoming a mere routinest, mindfal rather of the 
forms of business than of scientific advancement. 

It is highly creditable to the medical corps of the army that 
this tendency of the system has been so well resisted by many of 
its nccomj3lished members, and yet that such is its tendency can 
hardl}' l)e denied. 

But the evil is not without remedy. The head of the Medical 
Bureau should be allowed to permit the surgeon, after stated 
periods of service, to devote a few' months at some centre of 
medical instruction, where, by association with the learned and 
the progressive of his profession, his own ambition would be 
stimulated, and his professional knowledge extended. The Brit- 
ish Government thus systematically detaches its medical officers 
from duty, that they may refresh and extend their knowledge 
by attendance on lectures, and by resorting to other means of 
instruction. 

Other branches of the service have the stimulus to improve- 
ment, and the opportunity of securing it afforded by occasional 
furloughs, for the purpose of studying the art of war. The 
country has not forgotten the late military commission to Europe, 
the experience of which must have greatly enhanced the resources 
of its present commanding general. Was an army surgeon ever 
sent to Paris or Vienna to add to his scientific knowledge ? The 
tendency of all work as a matter of routine is to dwarf the intel- 
lect and unfit it for broader views. Hence the greater need of 
occasional special culture. Beside the reasons which humanity 
urges in favor of securing the highest efficiency to the medical 
corps, there exists a claim to consideration in the fact, that, 
unlike the officers of the purely military arm of the service, who 
have been educated by Government at its Military Academy, 
the medical officers have educated themselves in an expensive 
learned profession. 

The service could hardly fail to be benefited also by a reorgan- 



71 

izatiori which should create a body of'inspeclor.s-geiK'ial, selected 
from the army surgeons, with increased assimilated rank, whose 
business it should be to inspect tlie condition of all camps, hos- 
pitals, barracks, stores, and supplies, and keep the head of the 
bureau constantly informed as to the sanitary condition of the 
army, and the provision for its needs, each season and station 
frequently having its special wants. This feature of organiza- 
tion, the necessity for which is recognized in every European 
army, seems necessary to conform the medical department to the 
purely military departments of the service, thorough inspection 
being elsewhere the stimulus to efficiency, the remedy for neglect, 
and the only means by which abuses will be removed. This 
function of inspectors-general is now blended with that of medi- 
cal directors, who, being administrative officers on the staff of 
the commanding general, cannot command time for the thorough 
and close examination which, as experts, the inspectors-general 
should be required to make. 

More frequent reports, made up of other than purely statisti- 
cal matter, embracing reflections and investigations, as well as 
records of cases, would, if called for by authority, and circulated 
in and out of the army, furnish a valuable stimulus to the laud- 
able ambition of the army surgeon. 

Volunteer Service. — The surgeons of the volunteer army have 
been received, with its other officers and its privates, from civil 
life, either with or without examination. Where examination has 
been had, it has varied in degree, from the rigid tests imposed on 
candidates by the State examining board of Vermont, to a care- 
less weighing of merit by which the imperfectly qualified im- 
postor has not been found wanting. In most instances the 
colonel has nominated the surgeon, who has afterward been con- 
firmed by the Governor of the State, with the approval of an 
examining board. Practically, the result is better than could 



have been exported. Abuut sevcu-cightlis (7-8ths) of the sur- 
geons and their assistants — and this is about the proportion 
who have undergone examination — seem to the inspectors of the 
Commission to be fairly qualified for their duties. 

There are notable exceptions, however, to this general rule of 
competence. Two surgeons confessed that, until they were sup- 
plied with instruments by the Government, they had never seen 
an amputating knife. But the average grade of qualification, 
founded on both scientific attainment and practical experience, is 
reasonably high. 

The fairly qualified sui'geon is attached to his regiment, which 
has reached the column of the army of which it is to form a part. 
What facilities are his in the administration of his oflSce ? Hav- 
ing overcome the difficulties in the way of securing hospital tents 
for his sick, and recovered from his vexation at being denied one- 
fourth of the articles of medicine and of furniture, for which he 
had made requisition in conformity to the supply table, he 
endeavors, as best he may, to execute his trust. Shall he treat 
the sick as far as possible in the regimental hospital in camp? 
He often finds himself cut off from the use of medicines on which 
he has been accustomed to rely, (they are not mentioned in the 
supply table for field service,) and cannot obtain others, whose 
importance is recognized, in sufficient quantities from the medical 
purveyor. Ilis instruments are often very poor; not at all fit 
for the uses for which they were designed. He finds the regi- 
mental quartermaster and the brigade commissary, both un- 
willing to be bankers for the Government, when he asks them to 
purchase, on account of his hospital fund, which from the savings 
of his rations lie has accumulated on paper, such nutritious food 
as he may require for his sick. Often for that purpose no funds 
are available. 



71^ 



3'/ 



Shall he nut thoii send all hut tin; li'^hllv side to iieDeral lio.s- 
pital ? 

It is, perliap:, not the best place for tlicm. The fever 
patients will not be benefited by tlie ride of six or eight miles 
in a jolting ambulance, and the}' cannot have, in the old public 
house or the narrow rooms of seminaries, now misnamed hos- 
pitals, the free ventilation so essential to them, which the regi- 
mental li()S|)ital tent afl'ords. 

Ijiit to secure to them more promjjt supplies of appropriate 
medicine, and more varied and suitable food, and to avoid em- 
barrassing the rapid movement of the regiment liable to be 
ordered forward, he applies to the medical director for a permit 
which shall admit his dozen most sick men to the general 
hospital, in the nearest town. That he sometimes meets delay 
in securino; it, is not strange when re^rard is had to the amount 
of accommodation in the general hospitals and the numbers al- 
ready there, together with the number in camps ill enough to 
require the surgeon's advice, and to be nursed in the hospital 
tent. By the statistics gathered by the Commission, it appears 
that nineteen men in each thousand enlisted are on an average 
constantly sick in regimental hospital. Could one (^[uarter of 
that number find place in the general hospitals on the Potomac, 
for instance, in addition to their present population ? 

As tlie character of the regimental hospital must vary accord- 
ing to the mobility of the regiment, the season, the locality, 
the prevalent diseases, the proximity to available general hos- 
pitals, etc., a larger discretionary power should be accorded to 
the surgeon. The facility of adaptation to varying circum- 
stances is an essential feature of a good hospital system. 

The mutual relations of the surgeon and his assistant need to be 
more clearly defined. 

The surgeon is at loss, moreover, as to his relation to the 



snr2:con of brigack-, Avliom he finds on the staff of the brigadier 
general. The authority of that officer is very imperfectly defined, 
and he n.ay often claim more than would be readily conceded. 

To make the medical and surgical service of the volunteer 
army as efficient as the country has a right to expect it to be, 
there seems to be required a uniform and thorough examination 
of candidates for the post of surgeon and assistant surgeon, by 
a central board of United States army surgeons, if need be. 
This is the more important from the practical difficulty encoun- 
tered in getting rid of incompetent surgeons. It is not an un- 
known thing for a board summoned to test the qualifications of 
a medical officer known to be unfit for the discharge of his duties, 
to report him as qualified, after which only a court martial can 
separate him from the service, and this he can easily avoid. 

More ample provision should be made for the sick, both in 
camp and town hospitals. The supply table for the former 
should bo revised. 



It is submitted, indeed, that the entire medical supply table 
for post, field, and general hospitals ought to be carefully exam- 
ined and revised by a competent board ; and that, if it be found 
in any respect below the requirements of the latest and most 
enlightened medical science, it should be brought fully up to that 
standard. Surgeons of both the regular and volunteer forces 
constantly apply to the Commission for medicines and surgical 
and other appliances which they deem necessary for their patients, 
but wliich they cannot obtain through official channels. Argu- 
ment is unnecessary that our soldiers, when suffering from wounds 
received, or disease contracted, in the national service, are en- 
titled to expect from the nation the benefit of everything that 
the highest medical and surfjical science can jrive them. 



3$ 

75 

Transportation. — Transportation for the jNIedical Dcpaitineiit 
of the army is at present very deficient, irregular, and bad of its 
kind, and shouhl be improved and systematized. Instances have 
been credibly reported to the Commission, in which sick antl 
dying men have been packed together in cars and canal boats, 
and detained for liours on their way, in a manner that (unless it 
arose from unavoidable accident) can only be characterized as 
shocking and inhuman. The Government two-wheeled ambu- 
lance, whether considered as a conveyance for the sick and 
wounded, or as a transport wagon, is too bad to be continued. 
In its place several additional four-wheeled ambulances should be 
given to each regiment, three or four horse-litters of the form 
shown in Delafield's report on European armies, figures 75 to 
78, pending some better invention, and a supply of pack-mules 
with hampers ; as wagons will often be impeded, broken, and 
rendered impracticable, in the rough roads, gullies, streams, and 
sloughs, constantly met in our Southern States. 

These articles should, of course, be the exclusive property of 
the Medical Department, and a considerable proportion of the 
transportation belonging to the medical service of each com- 
mand should be kept near the stationary or moving depot of the 
Medical Purveyor of the Corps d'Armde, in order that requisi- 
tions, by courier or telegraph, may be immediately filled and 
despatched. (See Appendix : ""^ Ambulance.") 

VOLUNTEER HOSPITAL, AND OTHER SUPPLIES. 

The Commission did not, at first, contemplate furnishing hos- 
pital and other supplies to the army on any large scale, bur con- 
fined Itself mainly to the duties of " inquiry and advice" assigned 
it by the Secretary of War. It could not refrain, however, with- 
out doing violence to the human sympathies of its members. 



76 

from supplying some few of the more pressing wants which they 
saw existing in the military hospitals of Washington and else- 
where. The absence of any hospital fund already referred to 
made these wants remediless, except by the Commission, or more 
properly, by the generous and patriotic people of tlie loynl 
States, Avhom the Commission represents as their agent and al- 
moner. 

The Commission tiius found itself in a manner obli";ed to 
overstep its strict duty, and was induced to employ a number 
of experienced young men as hospital dressers ; to provide for 
the washing of the clothing of patients and of the hospital bed- 
ding, bandages, and towels; to purchase water-beds for patients 
who had undergone amputation, and whose surgeons certified that 
they could not recover without them ; to provide nurses possessed 
of skill for the handling of badly-fractured limbs; to engage 
the services of barbers to be constantly employed in the hospi- 
tals ; to supply, from time to time, some small amount of stim- 
ulants, and medicines, and surgical appliances to surgeons who 
were unable to obtain them from the Medical Bureau, either from 
their own excusable ignorance of official forms, or because the 
stock at the disposal of the Bureau was exhausted ; to provide 
some means of recreation for men with tedious wounds, and 
convalescents ; to furnish letter paper, envelopes, pens, ink, and 
postage stamps, or obtain franks, for those wishing to commu- 
nicate with their friends, or with the friends of more feeble 
comrades, etc., etc. 

The distribution of stores, clothing, bedding, ic, to the hos- 
pitals, and occasionally and on special emergencies (as after the 
engagement at " Ball's Bluff") to soldiers in the field, has now 
become a recognized function of the Coinmission. It assumed 
it with the less reluctance, that some central aejencv was indis- 



pensable to prevent a distressing wnste of the supplies -which the 
h>y;il women of the country were diligently providing for the 
army. Soldiers of one regiment were found to be over supplied, 
and throwing away the surplus or bartering it for liquor, while 
the hospital of some neighboring regiment was without bed:?, and 
its patients without a change of clothing.* 

The Commission has, therefore, for some months past held 
itself ready to receive and to distribute where most required, 
among the soldiers of every portion of the army, all supplies, 
especially of hospital stores, which might be forwarded to its 
depots by the liumanc and charitable societies that are working 
for the army in every northern city, town, and village. 

These supplies have been forw%arded to it in large ((uantity. 

The Quartermaster General having advertised for blankets 
from the private stocks of citizens, and having become acquainted 
with the method of action adopted by the Commission, has also 
directed that all blankets which shall thus be obtained by his 
agents shall be placed in the stores of the Commission, for gra- 
tuitous distribution, where found to be needed by the sick. 

Depots of the Commission. — The principal depots of stores 
for the Commission are in New York, (under charge of the 
" Woman's Central Relief Association," of New York ;) at Bos- 



* As this is being written, word is received from the quartermaster of the 
Second Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers, that he has three or four tons of 
hospital stores which have been presented to the regiment, but of which it has 
no need, and which he finds it impossible to transport. As the regiment is or- 
dered to move, he desires the Commission to relieve him of them. On the same 
day an urgent request has been received from several other regiments of the 
same division for much needed supplies. 

Si.x days after tlic Commission bad, by its agents, conveyed to the wounded at 
the battle of Ball's Bluff three wagon loads of comforts, the lirst box arrived, 
sent bv friends at homo for their relief. 



ton, at Providence, R. 1. ; at Philadelphia; at Cincinnati; Cleve- 
land, and Culumbus, Oiiio ; at Wheeling, Va. : at Louieville ; 
at Chicago; at Cairo; at St. Louis, and at Washiugton. 

Freight. — The freight on these supplies has been in many 
cases necessarily paid by the Commission. This source of ex- 
pense, however, will be diminished by the liberality of the direc- 
tors of most of the principal railroad lines, on which supplies 
consigned to the Commission will hereafter be conveyed at re- 
duced rates. 

Amount of Sup/dieg DUtrlhuted. — The demand for articles of 
clothing and protection for the sick has naturally increased 
during the past month, but the means placed by the community 
at the disposal of the Commission has enabled its Inspectors to 
keep pace with this increase. Thirty-four thousand four hun- 
dred and eighty-one articles of hospital clothing were distributed 
from the Washington depot alone during the month of Novem- 
ber, besides a large bulk of unclassified articles. 

The supplies thus distributed from the Washington depot have 
been issued to one hundred and thirt\'-six hospitals ; twenty of 
which were general, and one hundred and sixteen regimental. 
The average number of articles supplied to each was a litte more 
than two hundred. About one thousand are now daily distributed 
from the same depot, and their value in money is not less than 
five hundred dollars. 

At the Cleveland depot sixty-nine thousand articles have been 
received since its organization; and fiftj-oue thousand, besides 
several tons of articles of hospital diet, have been already issued 
from it to the army of the West, at various points. 

From the Wheeling depot, four thousand eight hundred and 
fourteen articles of bedding and clothing, alone, have been dis- 
tributed. 



Accurate returns have nut yet been i-eceived IVum other depots, 
but there can be little doubt that the value of supplies issued to the 
army, by agents of the Commission, during November, amounted, 
at a very moderate estimate, to the sum of forty thousand dollars. 

System of Distribution. — It is the duty of the Commission to 
prevent, as far as possible, the sacrifice of human life to matters 
of form and considerations of accuracy of accounts. Its method 
of distribution is as thorough and exact as can be maintained con- 
sistently Avith this duty. 

This department of its business has so greatly increased of late 
that it has been difficult to enlarge its clerical organization uith 
corresponding rapidity. Vouchers signed by the surgeon, or 
his assistant, of every regiment or hospital aided, and counter- 
signed by an inspector of the Commission, who has ascertained 
that the articles supplied are actually needed, have been f)btained, 
however, for every dollar's worth issued at all the depots di- 
rectly controlled by the Commission. 

Caution is exercised in the distribution of the gifts of the 
people, chiefly in the following particulars : 

1. That they should be as fairly- divided as is practicable — 
those most needy being most liberally dealt with ; 

2. That no officer shall be unnecessarily relieved from an ex- 
isting responsibity to secure for all dependent on him all the 
supplies which it is his right and duty to demand directly of 
Government. 

Reserve Stock of Supplies. — The reserve of stores at the 
disposal of the Commission is still smaller tlian it shouM be. 
The demand caused by the comparatively trifling engagement 



80 

at Kail's Bluff exliaustcMl its supply of various articles urgently 
require'!, and obliged it to purchase what was still needed in the 
shops of Washington. Had this battle been followed up by a 
general advance, or had a general engagement on the Potomac 
taken place, it is morally certain that many hundred, if not 
thousand men would have perished for the want of hospital sup- 
plies and medicines. Neither Government, nor the Commission, 
nor the shops of Washington, could have furnished one quarter 
part of Avhat would have been required, especially if a national 
victory had thrown the enemy's wounded on the hands of the Gov- 
ernment. It is true that Government could have telegraphed to 
Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York for additional supplies ; 
but these could not probably have been obtained in considerable 
quantity for several days ; and if only forty-eight hours elapsed 
before their receipt, hundreds of wounded men would have died 
from mere want of medicine, bedding, and bandages. 

Insufficiency/ of Government Supplies on hand. — The Corami.s- 
sion feels that the duty assigned it by the AVar Department re- 
quires it to })rotest, as it has already protested, against the 
grossly inadequate provision for the contingency of a general ac- 
tion which, certainly existed during the summer and autumn, and 
which it believes still to exist. 

To illustrate the extent of this deficiency, it is only necessary 
to say that the Medical Bureau was obliged to call on the Com- 
mission to supply lint and bandages for a few wounded men 
brought into hospital after one of the petty skirmishes that oc- 
curred in September last. 

The possibility of an engagement on our own soil at any 
moment, between two armies of one hundred and fifty or two 
hundred thousand men each, is so strange a novelty that we 
naturally fail to appreciate its inevitable consequences, and tho 



81 

irMiiien^o ainuunt of huinati suffering whicli must follow it. Tli« 
battle of Bull Rua has not taught us the lesson, because most 
of our woiiutled were then left on the field. Few of the morn 
serious cases reaehed our hospitals. We must remember that 
the experience of foreign armies shows that, after a well-contested 
battle on this scale, we must count on having, at the very least, 
frotu twenty to thirty thousand men crying to us for relief fiom 
agony. 

Supplies for Men in the field. — The Commission lias, by circu- 
lars and advertisements, given the widest publicity to the need 
of hospital supplies at all its dei)ots, specifying particularly the 
nature, dimensions, form, &c., of the articles especially needed ; 
and, as has already been stated, this appeal has been most gen- 
erously answered. It has had under consideration the expedi- 
ency of making a like call on the loyal women of the country 
for e.xtra clothing for men in the field. After advisement with 
the Quartermaster General, this has been thought inexpedient, 
except (to a limited extent) in the West, where delays and irregu- 
larities of transportation may retard the supj)ly through the 
regular channels of Government. Our soldiers are far better 
paid than those of any European army, and wherever these extra 
articles of clothing can be obtained throuf]jh their regimental 
quartermasters, their value being deducted from the soldier's 
pay, it is in the highest degree unfavorable to the development 
of true military habits, that th^y should seem to be furnished 
them as a kind of charity. 

The Commission, however, is in constant receipt, at Washing- 
ton and elsewhere, of considerable supplies of this class, which it 
distributes in cases of emergency. (See Appendix: Volunteer 
Army Supplies.) 



SiJ 



SPECIAL RELIEF TO VOLrNTEERS IX IRREfiULAR CIRCUMSTAXCES. 

The attempt has been made to smldenly stretch a system 
•lesigned to supply the Avaiits of a well-organized aimy of less 
than twenty thousand men under thoroughly-trained officers, to 
make it sufficient for the wants of six hundred thousand civilians 
rushing together in arms, all at once, with no officers acquainted 
with the forms of administrative duty for an army, but only 
leading men from among themselves, and of their own selection, 
to take the duty of officers in that system. Tlie population of a 
large town has been all at once set down here and there, in 
various parts of the country retired from the grand routes of 
communication, and from all adequate avenues for the supply of 
their subsistence. Rogues and traitors have seen their opftor- 
tunity in this state of things. Fools and indolent men have been 
swept, in the many eddies of the grand purpose which formed the 
central current, into places where great wisdom, activity, and 
energy would have failed to meet every pressing need. 

That men everywhere, throughout these wonderful multitudes, 
are daily suffering from the ignorance, neglect, mistakes, and 
impositions of their officers and of each other, is a matter of 
course. 

The agents of the Commission, limited in numbers, and sorely 
limited in means, have yet been able, in ways innumerable, and 
in many which cannot even be alluded to by a general indication 
of their character, to administer some measure of assistance and 
relief in many thousands of these cases. 

A brief description of one of the more systematic methods in 
which the Commission has thus more than justified all the hopes 
of a beneficent result which were entcitained :it its orjranizaiion, 
is all that can be attempted in this report. 



88 

The main purpose had in view, in the a<^enc_)' rclerrril tt), lias 
been to lessen the lianlships to which the ignorance of the sick 
volunteers and their officers, of the forms and methods of Govern- 
ment, make them subject while in the city of Washington, and to 
provide for certain wants of the volunteers, when detacheil from 
their regiments, for which the Government arrangements had 
been inadequate, and which the regular inspectors of the Com- 
mission, in their visits to camps and hospitals, could not attend to. 

Practically, the chief duty has been — 

First. To supply to the sick men of the regiments arriving in 
Washington such medicines, food, and care as it was impossible 
for them to receive, in the midst of the confusion, and with the 
lack of facilities, of their own officers. 

Second. To furnish suitable food, lodging, care, and assistance 
to men discharged from the general hospitals, or from their regi- 
ments, but who arc often delayed for a number of days in the 
city before they obtain their papers and pay. 

Third. To give assistance and information, and secure trans- 
portation to men who arrive at the railroad station in small 
numbers, and want to find and join their regiments. Some of 
these arc men accidentally left behind ; some are men who have 
been detained by order for a few days at hospitals in Phila- 
delphia or Baltimore. 

The building near the railroad station, occupied by this 
agency, is furnished ihe Commission by Government. From its 
occupation for this purpose on the 9th of August^ last, up to the 
9ih of December instant, four thousand and forty nights' lodg- 
ings have been furnished to seventeen hundred and ninety soldiers, 
mostly laboring more or less under disease, who would, if without 
this resource, have been obliged to sleep on the fioor of the re- 
ception house or in places of great exposure. Many have re- 



fi4 

mained in it several dnys, receiving meflical caic fiuiii a plivsiciati 
of the city, employed by tlie Commission. 

This has been done ut an aggregate expense of about fifteen 
hundred dollars. 

This agency also aids soldiers passing through tiie city "n 
their return to tlieir regiments from general hospitals, or passing 
through the city on sick leave, and in various ways that cannot 
be classified under any general head, but which have certainly 
prevented a large amount of sickness and suffering. 

This will be best illiistiated by extracts from two reports made 
to the Commission Iiy the Inspector in charj^i- of this agency. 



"When the regiments, whose sick men we had cfiarge of, went 
to camps, they usually carried their sick with them, unless the 
men seemed too feeble to go : in which case we saw that the men 
were taken to a general hospital, or else we kept them in charge 
a few days longer, until the regimental hospital couhl be put 
into a comfortable condition. 

" Sometimes the sick of a regiment just arrived occupied a sepa- 
rate passenger car, and remained in the car until the regiment 
moved; in that case we supplied them with tea and coffee and 
needed refreshments in the car. 

"Often the surgeon of the legiment had no medicine at hand 
for the sick, it being locked up in his chest, which could not be 
reached in the baggage car. In that case we obtained for him 
such medicines as immediate needs required. 

" When we found men from general or regimental hospitals wait- 
ing to get their discharge papers filled out, and for tlieir pay, we 
took them in charge, sheltered and fed them, and if they needed 
help, we rendered it. 

" When we found men who were too weak to bear the fatigue of 
going with their papers, we took charge of tlx' papers ourselves, 
had them filled up, obtained the signature of the men to blank 
receipts for money due to them by Government, and thus, by 
consent of the paymaster, received the money, and paid it over 
to the men. This privilege couhi only be granted in cases of 
absolute ii'^ce>-^ity. 

" When we found men seeking their regiments, we ilirected them, 
(from a record of the location of the various regiments kindly 



4^ 



85 



furnished us by General Williams ;) if they needed money, Ave 
gave it to tliem ; if they were wonk, obtained an order for an 
ambulance, or an army wagon, or a railroad pass, by which they 
were sent to their respective stations. 

'• In many cases, men who were discharged left their regimental 
hospitals sadly in need of clean garments, especially shirts, stock- 
ing, and drawers. In such cases, before they started for home, 
we made the men clean and comfortable. 

" When "we found men at the reception buildings in need of 
medical treatment, but not sick enough to be sent to the general 
hospital, we called in a physician, unless their own surgeon could 
be obtained. 

"It is not the plan to consider this, in any sense, a hospital, 
but only as a place where the weak can rest and be cared for, 
and the sick remain awhile until they are otherwise provided lor, 
and also where those returning home, who have n(^ chiim ujion 
hospital, or camp, or station-house, may be sheltered if obliged 
to remain near the station more than six hours. Therefore, as 
a general thing, men will remain in the house but one, two, or 
three days at any given time." 

''Within the past three weeks, we had a new class, viz: men 
belonging to regiments moving from Washington to Annapolis 
for special service. A number of cases have occurred where the 
regiments have struck their tents and marched to the railroad 
station, bringing all their sick with them in ambulances, expect- 
ing to take the cars at once; but they were detained there waiting 
sometimes for twenty-four hours. In such cases we have immedi- 
ately received the sick into the house : and there they remained 
until the train which was to take them was ready to start. Some 
nights we had as many as twenty such from one regiment, who 
otherwise (though just removed from a regimental hospital) 
would have been obliged to have slept on the floor of the recep- 
tion-house, or else in the army wagons and ambulances. Many 
of these were men who needed all the care we could give them." 

* * * * ^: -Jfi * 

"Sept. 11th. There were last night in the "Soldiers' Home," 
as we now call it, twenty-five men resting. Among them were a 
number of Berdan's Sharpshooters ; none of them were sick 
enough to go to a hospital, but some of them will doubtless be 
saved from serious illness by two or three days of rest and care. 
These men represent a large class of soldiers now arriving, who 
come in companies of fifties or hundreds, not yet organized into 
regiments, and therefore having no surgeon with them. To such 
we feel that we can be of especial service." 



86 

" Anw. 12, p. m. ; at 6J o'clock, thirty men arrive, belonnring 
to the Wisconsin 5th, in charge of a sergeant. lie left them 
immediately to go to he:i(lqu;irtcrs to get wagons to transport 
them to their camp. They were men sent on from the hospital 
at Baltimore. They had no provision for supper. We supplied 
them, and at 9^ o'clock they were packed into the wagons which 
had arrived. Had I seen the sergeant beforehand, he would 
gladly have let them rest for the night in the reception-house. 
Meantime, at about 8 o'clock, thirteen men and one woman, of 
the Wisconsin 6th, arrived from Baltimore hospital, witliout any 
one in charge of them. They had been merely told to go to 
Washington, and join their regiment. We gave them supper, 
made them comfortable for the night, and after breakfast they 
were taken to their encampment." 

Dr. Grymes, the physician to the Home, in his report, dated 
October 10th, says : 

" I have professionally treated over 400 soldiers since tlie 
opening of the house — some of them very sick. I have sent 36 
to the general hospitals from the Home, and others from the 
depot. I have given medicine to many who were directed to call 
for advice. I have furnished medicines to various regimental 
surgeons arriving at the station-house; and, wlicnever ttie oppor- 
tunity has occurred, have conversed and advise<l with them upon 
the prevailing diseases of our section of the country ; and I have 
informed them what disposition they could make of their sick." 

Copies of reports of the inspector in charge of the agency 
are submitted herewith. 



The general accumulation of troops around Washington has 
rendered this special establishment for their aid and comfort in 
the particulars above suggested, and in part stated, almost indis- 
pensable. Like services are everywhere rendered them, how- 
ever, by the inspectors and other agents of the Commission, i'^ 
every camp and militav}'^ position, and the Commission hopes 
(should it be enabled to continue and extend its operation) to 
mitigate, at least in some degree, the hardships and sufferings to 
whith raw troops under inexperienced officers are inevitably ex" 



87 

posed, by estiiblishiiig or encouniging the estalilishiiu'iit of siinilur 
asencies for tlicir aid and comfort at all the lircat ceiilres of 
military operation. 

It has already done so at Baltimore, Cleveland, and Cliica<To, 
through its local as^encies in these cities: the Secretary of the 
Treasury has authorized the use of the Marine Hospitals in the 
two latter towns for this humane object. 

A single illustration is perhaps necessary, of the manner in 
which a few energetic and humane men, moving near the track 
of an army, may often chance to be able to mitigate the inevitable 
miseries of war by a moderate expenditure, when not liamp( red 
in making it by regard for the strict forms of action to which 
the regular agents of Government are confined. Such an illus- 
tration is found concisely stated in a report of Robert CoUyer, 
who was employed, at the time of writing it, as an inspector of 
the commission in Missouri. 

" Twenty-seven cases of fever had been embarked at Ottcrville, 
on Saturday morning, at 10 o'clock, in a boxcar. The men were 
laid in their blankets, on the floor. With the sick Avas laid the 
body of an officer, in a coffin. A single nurse, without sto'-es, ap- 
pliances, or money, could do little else than bring water to the sick. 
At California Station, in the middle of the same afternoon, 
they were stopped, to have the road open for the train carryino- 
* * * * =i= t- Yox this object they waited until one 
o'clock a. m. of the following day, when the word came by 
telegraph that it would not pass during the night. They finally 
arrived at half-past three, of a raw morning, at Jefferson, where 
I fortunately came upon them, — two already dead on the floor; 
the rest faint and cold. I asked the nurse what he was doinf 
for thf ir breafast. He answered that he had made a requisition, 
and hoped that he might get food upon it by ten o'clock. I 
immediately got a supply of tea, coffee, bread, and meat, from the 
nearest public houses, and brought it to them, for which they 
were very grateful. 

"Finally they reached St. Louis at 10 o'clock on Sunday even- 
ing, having been thirty-six hours on the road. Three men had 
dieti in the transit ; a fourth followed in a few hours, — 4 of 27!" 



A vast amount of extraiiei)us aid, it may be here noticed 
lias been rendered to tlie (jrovornnient in the care of the sick 
among the troops in Missouri, of only a portion of which any 
record has been kept. Since August last, two inspectors of the 
Commission have been engaged in camp inspection at and near 
St. Louis, and at other points in Missouri, and have distributed 
to those wanting them a large aggregate of hospital supplies 
forwarded from Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and New York. 

The " Western Sanitary Commission," constituted by Gen- 
eral Fremont, about three months since, commenced the estab- 
lishment in St. Louis of hospitals for the reception of such sick 
as might be transported thither from the columns advancing 
southwest and west. Latterly, their duties have largely increased, 
and in co-operation with the medical authorities of the army, 
they have provided most comfortable quarters for about '2,f)00 
sick, their hospitals being nearly or quite full. 

The provisions thus made have b^en inspected by a Secretary 
of the Commission, Dr. J. S. Newberry, and the evidence of in- 
telligence, industry and philanthropy which they furnished, is 
in the highest degree gratifying.* 

DISTRIBUTION OF ADVISORY DOCUMENTS. 

The Commission, havinji: enrolled amons: its associate members 
many distinguished members of the medical profession throughout 



* The arduous gratuitous labors of t le St. Louis Commission, in the establish- 
ment and care of their hospital.", have necessarily engrossed most of their time 
and attention; and the inspection of camps, and the prevention of disease among 
the troops west of the Mississippi, which, in their generous self-devotion, they 
assumed, has proved to be beyond their power. In these circumstances, it has 
been determined, by the parent Comniistion, to extend into Missouri the same 
thorough system of sanitary measures now being carried out through all the 
divisions of our army. An associate secretary has therefore l)een sent to St. 
Louis, who will, in co-operation with the Western Sanitary Commission, and with 
the assistance of experienced inspectors, in the shortest time possible, investigate 
fully the condition and wants of the troops in Missouri, and promptly supply 
ftll needed material aid. 



89 

the loyal Stares, has thought it fairly within the scope of its duties 
to invite them to aid in the protection of the army against disease, 
by the preparation of papers intended to embody in a brief com- 
pass the latest results of medical and surgical science, in regard 
to various special points of great practical importance, as to 
\rhicli some of our volunteer surgeons, necessarily inexperienced 
in their new field of army medicine, surgery, and hygiene, and 
without access to libraries, may need information and advice. 
The duty of compiling these papers has been confided by the 
Commissson to leading members of the profession in our principal 
cities; and papers on re-vaccination, on the treatment of camp 
fever, on dysentery, and on certain surgical operations of im- 
portance, but not universally understood, are now completed or 
in progress. These the Commission proposes to print, and to 
place in the hands of every member of the medical staff". Though 
many of these gentlemen need no advice or instruction as to their 
professional duties, there are, doubtless, some whose patients 
will feel its benefit, and should a single life be thus saved, the 
labor will be abundantly recompensed. 

RECORD OF BURIALS. 

The Commission has endeavored to obtain information by 
which the place of burial of the volunteers who have been killed 
in battle, or who have died in hospitals, may be established. 
They have also elaborated a system of records for those dying 
in hospitals, and of indications of their burial place, by whicli 
their bodies may be identified; which has received approval, and 
been ordered to be carried out, blanks and tablets for the purpose 
being furnished to each regimental quartermaster. 



ao 



DISBURSEMENTS. 



The following is a statement of tlie cash (lislmrstnicnts of the 
Commission to the 20th November, 1^31. 

Travelling Expenses of Inspection. $2,07i> 00 

Compensation of Services for Inspection 3,480 36 

Travelling Expenses of Commissioners 1,640 1-i 

Office Expenses, Including Services 1,036 24 

Printing and Stationery --. 1,823 96 

Postage 397 19 

Telegrams 90 29 

Freight 888 66 

Soldiers' Home, at Washington l,19o 00 

General Hospital 2,392 74 

Regimental Hospital 572 59 

Store House Expenses at Washington 660 83 



• §16,256 98 

THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. 

Of the gentlemen named as Commissioners, in your order dated 
June 9th, 1861, the folloAving accepted the duty assigned them, 
and have continued active members of the Commission, viz: 

The Rev. Henry W. Bellows, D. D., New York. 
Prof. A. D. Baciie, LL. D., Washington. 
Elisha Harris, M. D., New York. 
George W. Cullum, U. S. A., Washington. 
Alexander E. Suiras, U. S. A., '' 
Robert C. Wood, M. D., U. S. A., 
William II. Van Bi jien. M, D., New York. 
WoLCOTT GiBBS, M. D., New York. 



Samuel G. Howe, M. D., Boston. 
Cornelius R. Agnew, M. D., New York. 
J. S. Newberry, M. D., Cleveland. 

The Commission, under jour authority, has since added to its 
number by the addition of the following members, viz : 

George T. Strong, New York. 

Horace Binney, Jr., Philadelphia. 

The Right Rev. Thos. M. Clark, D. D., Providence, R. T. 

The Hon. Joseph Holt, Kentucky. 

Francis Burnett, Cincinnati. 

The Hon. Mark Skinner, Chicago. 

Frederick Law Olmsted, New Y'ork. 

It has also appointed about four hundred "associate members" 
from every part of the loyal States, including many gentlemen 
accomplished in sanitary science, whose counsel and assistance 
has been found of great value. Through these associate mem- 
bers, auxiliary organizations have been established in our prin- 
cipal cities, which have rendered material service to the Commis- 
sion, in supplying it with funds, in stimulating the supply of 
hospital material, and in the preparation of medical and surgical 
papers. 

An expression is due of the obligations which the Commission 
is under, to the Major-General Commanding; the Quarter- 
master General, and to the Medical Director of the Army of the 
Potomac, for valuable advice in its deliberations. 

Thanks are due, also, to nearly all the agents of (iovernment, 
who have at any time had it in their power to aid the work of 
the Commission. In the various regiments of volunteers which 
have been inspected, the number of officers from which the Com- 



92 

mission has received information is about seven tlionsand. With 
a single exception, they have answered enquiries and received 
suggestions, in matters of their duty, with entire courtesy and 
frankness. The fact illustrates a distinguishing characteiistic of 
this Republican Army. 

IMPORTANCE OF MILITARY HYGIENE. 

The experience and observation of the last five months, has 
only strengthened the original conviction of the Commission, of 
the immense practical importance to the nation, in a merely 
economical point of view, of a thorough system of military hygiene, 
and of increased [)recaations against the occurrence of disease. 
Such precautions can hardly be said to form part of our present 
system. The army medical staif are charged with the cure of 
disease; its prevention forms a most subordinate inanch of their 
duties, if, indeed, it be distinctly recognized as belonging to 
them. 

The views of the Commission on this subject are clearly em- 
bodied in the following extracts from a Report on Army Medical 
Statistics presented to the British House of Commons, (printed 
June. 1861): 



"Reports exhibiting the results of extensive observations over 
a wide field will serve to measure the influences of each known 
cause on health, and will probably lead to the discovery of now 
causes, both of impaired and of vigorous life. They will every 
year contain new contributions to the science of healtli, in which 
the w'hole nation is concerned. The report will be the means of 
improving the health of the army. They will contribute to di- 
minish the army's sickness, which is attended with expense ns 
well as suffering; foi- a sick army is the worst extravagance in 
which a nation can indulge. Thiough the wane of information, 
whicli rhese reports \\\\\ supply, the exact amount of sickness in 
the army is not known ; but according to past experience, it may 
inferred that at least thirteeyi iIiou.so)i(J officers and men of the 



^y 



93 



present force are habitually in the hospitals, so that to have an 
available strength of OHt? liundred and eiijhtij-itcvcn thousand, the 
country has to maintain two-Jnindred thousand of all arms. The 
thhteen thousand sick men in the hospitals cost as much as thir- 
teen thousand men under arms. Here is a -wide margin for 
economy. 

"If the statistical reports help the Secretary of State for war 
to reduce largely the sickness of the army in peace and in war, 
they will, it is plain, save thousands of pounds annually in the 
estimates. At the same time they will effect a still moie impoi'- 
tant saving : for they will save the lives of our soldiers. 

"If soldiers die in battle by hundreds, they die of disease in 
hospitals by thousands. 

" The economy of life resulting directly from the information 
which statistical returns supply, has been already strikingly 
exemplified in Jamaica, where, by a better choice of stations and 
sanitary arrangements, the mortality has been reduced from 13 
(in 1817-1830) to 6 per cent, per annum (in 1837-1855) on 
the strength. 

" The sickness in the field may be reduced by carefully selecting 
men; by letting the men when it is practicable, breathe purer 
air ; by selecting the healthiest sites available for camps ; by 
raising the men in their tents from the ground ; by supplying 
them with purer water ; by better arrangements for cleanliness, 
clothing, and the supply of food, and by better medical arrange- 
ments. 

"A certain amount of insalubrity will nevertheless remain. 

"As we have shown that the excessive sickness of the army in- 
volves a large amount of expense, it is evident that the diminu- 
tion of that sickness will effect a great saving in peace and an 
enormous saving in war. For sick men are not only a loss but 
an incumbrance to an army. Their numbers are negative quan- 
tities. The expense of recruiting and of invaliding soldiers 
would be reduced by reducing the rates of mortality. Fewer 
men would be required, and recruits would more readily join a 
healthy army. The existence of an army in the highest state of 
efficiency would give additional security to the country without 
increasing the cost; the liability to an attack Avould be lessened; 
war woidd be waged with more chances of success, and would 
sooner be brought to a close by such an army tlian by an :irmy 



• 



94 

suffering from diseases which have hitherto infested our barracks 
and campjj." 

Tiie object had in view by the Commission can be effectually 
accomplished only by the direct action of Government, through 
officers who can order, where the Commission can only advise. 
The cause our armies have to defend is alone dearer to the peo- 
ple than are those who have to suffer in its defence. The strength 
and mobility of the array cannot be sacrificed to the care of its 
sick and wounded. The sick and wounded should be sacrificed 
unflinchingly, to every unavoidable, military necessity ; but all the 
more should they be supplied with whatever mitigation of suffer- 
ing military necessities leave possible. And these should be fur- 
nished them, not as if a hard master were driving a bargain 
with them — as in the commutation of a board contract — but as if 
the love and pity of mothers, wives, sweethearts, and sisters, 
were exercised with the far-seeing providence, boldness, ingen- 
uity, tact and industry of true military generalship — Surgeon- 
Generalship. 

The duty of guarding against the defeat of our armies by dis- 
ease, needs to be undertaken as earnestly, as vigilantly, with as 
liberal a policy, and with as resolute a determination, as any 
other military duty. 

To secure this result, the Commission is convinced tliat a 
higher place needs to be accorded the medical staff in the or- 
ganization of the army. Its relations with all departments and 
all ranks, as well as with the Government itself, needs to be 
more intimate, confidential, and influential. 

Whatever and whoever stands in the way of this, the Com- 
mission wants put out of the way. But if an impression prevails 



4^r 



in any quarter that the members of the Commission, in tlieir 
devotion to this purpose, have been over-zealous, or snuglit, 
individually or collectively, to bring it about by action not 
absolutely within their assigned duty, or that they have used any 
indirect or unworthy means therefor, that impression is without 
the smallest foundation in truth. Whoever seeks to promulgate 
it, narrows to a personal issue a question of the broadest hu- 
manity, and is Avithout provocation or excuse for so doing, in 
any action of the Commission, 

The one point which controls the Commission is just this : a 
simple desire and resolute determination to secure for the men 
who have enlisted in this war that care Avhich it is the will and 
the duty of the nation to give them. That care is their right, 
and, in the Government or out of it, it must be given them, let 
who will stand in the way. 

The Commission has no fear that its motives will be miscon- 
strued, or its words perverted. In the life-struggle of a nation, 
soft speaking of real dangers and over-considerateness is a crime. 

Whether the great tide of the spirit of war which now sub- 
merges our land shall be allowed to quietly subside, or whether the 
struggle in which we are preparing to engage shall continue so long 
as to establish in us the habits of thought and of life of a military 
nation, matters little. It matters much that, whatever betide us, 
we remain true to the central idea of our nation's life ; that our 
army be one with our people, and that we accept whatever the 
Almighty sets before us as our duty, courageously, patiently, 
and with mutual helpfulness. 

The members of the Commission, deeply grateful for the hon- 
ored confidence which has constituted it so important an artery 



96 

of the people's love to the people's army, desire nothing so much 
as that by a sufficient enlargement and invigoration of the proper 
departments, they may be relieved of the duties which they have 
undertaken. 

While, however, their beloved Government can, with advan- 
tage, continue to accept such services as by the aid of the pub- 
lic liberality they are able to offer, they renew their assurances 
of the devoted good will with which they remain at its disposal. 

By order of the Commission : 

FRED. LAW OLMSTED, 

General Secretary. 



APPEXDIX. 



I. 

OFFICERS OF THE SANITARY COMMISSION. 

President, the Rev. II. W. Bellow.s. D D 
Vice President, Prof. A. D. Bacme, LL D 
Treasurer, Geo. T. Strong. 
General Secretary, Fred. Law Olmsted. 
Associate Secretary, J. S. Newderrt, M.' D. 

" J- FosTKR Jenkins, M. D. 

^ " " J- H. Doi:gla8, M. D. 

Assistant Secretary, A. J. Bloou. 
Actuari/, E. B. Elliott. 



II. 
STAFF OF INSPECTION. 



J. Foster Jenkins, M. D., Associate Secretary 
Lewis H. Steiner, M. D., Sanilari/ Inspector. 

UOKDO.V WiNSLOW, D. D., 

Gko. L. .Vndrew, M. D., 
w,m. m. chambkrlain, m. d. , 
Georoe A. Blake, M. D., 
RiiBERT Ware, M. D., 
IIexrv K. Oliver, M. D., 



J. S. Newberry, M. D., Associate Secretary 
Godfrey Aigner, M. D., Sanitarij Inspector. 
C. S. Griswold, M. D., <' .. 

A. N. Read, M. D., " << 

W. M. Prentice, M. D., " << 

west of the Mississippi. 

J. II. Douglas, M. D., Associate Secretary 

Prof. Henry A. Warriner, M. D., Sanitary Inspector. 

inspectors engaged in special duty. 

Fred'k N. Knapp, 
Henry B. Rhoers, 
Robert Collyiou, 
Thos. B. DkWalden, 
J. B. Clark, 
W. S. Wood. 



98 • 
III. 

EXAMPLE. 

Owing to the insignificant number of onr regular army, and to the fact 
that a large part of it has been conbfantly eugnged in scouting duties in tl'e 
wilderness, the aspect of the tidy, well set-up, alert, thoroughly trained 
soldier, so familiar to all Europeans, is almost unknown to the native Ameri- 
can. Of military administration, and especially of saiiitary duties, our officers 
have rarely seen anything, even rarely read or heard anytliing, before they be- 
come responsible for executing them. Information ab"ut them is to be olitnined 
from certain parngrai hs of military brevity scattered among al'ove si.xteea 
hundred sections of the general llcgulolinns for the Army, and frMii observation 
of those a little more advanced in experience. Hence the exceeding value of a 
good example in establishing a standard of attainment. It was precisely the 
same in the revolutionary war, and it was then, not tintil the Inspector General 
took a company of one hundred and twenty men, and by giving it his almost un- 
divided personal attention for some time, personally inspecting each man twice 
a day, and was thus able to set before the Contii ental officers an example of 
real excellence, tliat the army began to assume an ethcient character for offensive 
operations. "In a fortnight," writes Fteuben, "my company knew erfectly 
how to bear arms, had a wilihuy air," &.c. "1 had my company of guards ex- 
actly as I wished them to be. They were well-dressed, their arms clean and in 
good order, and iheir general appearance quite respectable." * * " It afforded 
a new and agreeable sight for the young officers and soldiers." " Having gained 
my point, I dispersed my apostles, the inspectors and my doctrine was eagerly 
embraced." This was in December, 1777 — a year aiid-a-half after the war 
opened. 

In the ReguJutionx for the Continental army the police, sanitary, .and adminis- 
trative duties of officers are tar more thoroughly delinfd than in the present 
Reyidntions, and, if they were rei'arded, the Continental army toward the close 
of the war, at least, must have had a much more creditable appearance than our 
present army, and been less in danger of camp epidemics. See Kappas SCenben. 



IV. 



SOME NOTES OF AN INSPECTION OF A PART OF THE FORCES 
ENGAGED IN THE BATTLE OF BULL RUN. 

As soon as practicable after the battle of Bull's Run, a series of seventy-five 
enquiries was prepared, intended to elicit information as to the condition of the 
troops before, during, and after the engagement, ai d as to the dettcis in the 
moOe of providing for the necessities of the army which had been munifested iu 
the series of movements which were connected with it. These questions were 
placed in the hands of the seven inspectors of the Commission, who weie then 
employed in visiting the regiments which had been engaged, for the purpose of 
ascertaining and administering to their wants, and ihey were instructed to 
obtain aitswers to them, wliich would represent as nearly as pos^ible the knowl- 
edge and judgment of the most intelligent officers and surgeons of these regi- 
ments with whom ihey were able to confer. 

Tlie returns received coinpri-e iibout two thousand items of evidence with ref- 
erence to the history of the buttle, and have a certain value o'herwi^e than from 
a meilical or sauitJiry ( oint of view. Tlie largest [tart of them were collected 
by physicians and examiners of lite insurance companies, accustomed lo aa 
exact and searching method of inquiry. 



<^~/'/ 



99 



Portions of each of the twelve hrigafles under the c.ommnndof Major General 
McDowell, at the time of the general advance of July lU, were visited by the in- 
spectors. 

Tlie entire niimher of bodies of troops visited was thirty. 

Of tlie twelve brigades coraprit^ing the army of the Potomac, seven only 
crossed the stream known as Bull Run, on the occasion of the engagement of 
Sunday, July the :21st, and took any active part in the main action with the 
enemy. 

Certain regiments that crossed the stream and took important part in the 
action of the Hist, (as, for instance, the G9th and the 71st New York State 
]\[ilitin,) were removed from Washington to be mustered out of service so soon 
after the battle, that no reports were obtained from them. 

(Joncerniug several of tlie regiments visited, replies were obtained to the 
entire scries of seventy-five questions proposed ; concerning others, replies were 
ob'ained to hut a portion of the series — the defect being due in some instances 
to neglect on the part of inspectors, in others, to inability on the part of the 
regiuuntal officers consulted to give the information desired. 

Skirmish of the 18th. — Of twenty-nine bodies of soldiers visited, four were 
actively engaged in the "demonstration" of the 18th of July, (Thursday,) at 
Blackhurn's Ford, (across the Bull Run,) three others were engaged, but not 
actively, and twenty-two were not engaged.* 

Engagement of the 2\xt. — Of the same twenty-nine bodies of troops, twenty 
were actively engaged in the battle of the 21st of July, (Sunday,) seven were 
engaged, but not actively, and two were not engaged. 

Camp Guard. — The average number left as camp guard at the time of the 
general advance, previous to the engagements of the 18th and 21st, from each 
of nineteen regiments reporting on this point, was sixty-eight, (more exactly, 
G8.2.) From ten of the twenty nine regiments visited, no report was made as 
to the number so left. The smallest number so left behind by any regiment was 
thirteen ; the largest number s© left, one hundred and fifty. 

Strength of Regiments. — The average number of troops that marched for the 
batt'e fitdd at tlie time of the general advance, from each of twenty regiments 
reporting on this point, was (as stated by their officers) eight hundred and 
two ;t nioe of the twenty nine bodies of troops visited not reporting. The 
smallest number so marching was six hundred, the largest number nine hun- 
dred and fifty-one. 

Last Meal. — The last meal before the battle of the 2l8t, of sixteen of the 
twenty nine regiments, was on tiie evening of the day before; that is, on the 
evening of the 20th. Six regiments had a regular breakfast early (that is, 
before 2^ o'clock) on tlie morning of the day of the battle ; two regiments break- 
fasted at six, and the battiiion of United Stales infantry is reported to have 
enjoyed a regular meal in the woods about eleven a. m. The time of the last 
regular meal of three regiments is not reported, but there is reason for stating 
it to have been about G a. m. 

First Movement on the 2\st. — The troops, except those in the reserve, were 
aroused from sleep between the hours of one and two o'clock on the morning of the 
battle of July the 21st, ihe march being ordered to commence with some at two, 
with others at half-past two. J 



*Tlie thirtieth t)Ofly, previously referred to, was Blenker's Brigade. which alsownsnot engsped 
and which is for tlie present disregarded, because the teturus from it are more imperfect than the 
uverape. 

f Thirt i* believed to be somewliat over estimated. 

I Those regiments which breakfasted at six wore of tbo roBcrv^. 



100 

The Commissariat — The troops hadheen supplied at about 3 p. m., on the 16th 
of July, with three days' rations in tlieir haversacks, "which should have lasted 
them to the afternoon of the 19th." [See report of Captain Ciark, Commissary 
of Subsistence.] And again, in a circular from headquarters, dated at Centre- 
ville, July 20th, 18G1, an equal distribution of the subsistence stores on hand 
was required to be immediately made to the different companies of each division. 
In accordance with the last-mentioned order, " 100, 000 complete rations were 
received by the army at and in the vicinity of Centreville — sufiicient for its sub- 
sistence five days." (Hence there appears to have been a short interval unpro- 
vided for. ) 

According to the reports made to the in.«pectors, few companies complied 
fully with these orders; twenty-six of the twenty-nine regiments visited took at 
least a partial supply, say from one to three days' rations, under the former 
order ; two regiments, it is said, taking " no supply," depending for food upon 
"forage." An insufficient supply in one case was accounted for by the state- 
ment that " they had no expectation of being called to march ;" (that is, therefore 
did not obey the order.) In several instances it is ttated tliat the supply of 
three days' rations taken by the troops was " exhausted before the close of the 
second day ;" that is, the rations were wasted. Tliese confeessions of neglect 
or improvidence on the part of the volunteeis are confirmed by the report of 
Commissary Clarke, in which it is stated that after the distribution had been 
properly made to the several divisions, he (Captain Clarke) knew "of several 
instances in which subsistence stores remained in possession of division and 
brigade commissaries, and of others in which provisions were left on the ground 
of the encampments on the morning of the 21st of July." 

Distance Marched before the Battle. — The distance marched to the field of battle 
on the morning of the 21st by those who became actively engaged, varied from 
four to twelve miles; of those in the vicinity of the field but not actively 
engaged, the distance generally was from two to four miles, (Richardson's brig- 
ade remaining in the position it held on the 20th, menacing the enemy at 
Blackburn's Ford.) 

Double-Quick. — The portion of this march to the battle field which was at 
double-quick, was, in the case of fifteen of the regiments, from one and one-half 
to three miles — generally from two and a half to three miles ; in the case of 
thirteen of the regiments there was no portion of the march at double- 
quick. During the battle a few of the companies, and but a few, moved at 
double-quick for one or two miles. 

It seemed to be generally considered by the volunteers that their strength was 
unnecessarily and injuiiiciously wasted by the extent of the double-quick advance. 
To a certain extent this appears to be true, yet the result could hardly have been 
affected by it if the men had been in tolerable condition. 

Degree of Vigor at Commencement of Battle. — As to the physical condition 
of the troops on reaching the field of battle, it is reported that eight of the regi- 
ments visited were in " fair,'" " excellent," " good," " best" condition ; 

That in eight others " the meu were somewhat exhausted," " partially ex- 
hausted," evidently suflfering;" 

That in twelve of the regiments visited, the troops were said to he " much ex- 
hausted," " generally fatigued," "many considerably exhausted :" in six of the 
regiments from one to twenty were "giving out," " giving completely out," &c., 
one or two instances of " sun stroke" being specified. 

In eight regiments none " gavo out" before the battle ; in from nine to eleven 
regiments some gave out before the battle ; and concerning the remaining regi- 
ments there is no report. 

(There was was an evident disposition to regard the exhausted physical condi- 
tion of the men as a chief cause of the defeat.) 



^/ 



101 



Cauus of Exhaustion before the Battle. — As to the causes assigned for the ex- 
haustion, it apjicai'S that of the regiments visited, it was stated that three had not 
sutlered at all from fatigue or heat, or want of food or drink or sleep ; in seven- 
tem of the regiments "fatigue" was assigned as a cause of exliaustion ; in 
eleven the march at "double-quick"' was specified as peculiarly fatiguing; in 
eight of the seventeen the esliauslion is attributed more to the double-quick 
than to want of food and drink ; in sixteen of the regiments waut of fO( d was 
assigned as a cause of exhaustion; in eleven want of drink was assigned as a 
cause ; and in a few cases, the exbuustiou was attributed, in part at least, to want 
of sleep, and to a bivouac of three or four nights in tbe open\air, with icsuih- 
cient clothing, as was the case with the Fire Zouaves, who left their blankets 
and rubber cloths in c^imp. 

So much as to the condition and movement of the troops before the battle. 

Time in the Battle. — The time during which the troops taking part in the battle 
of the 21st were actively engaged (pu^hing_ forward the enemy, or being tempo- 
rarily on retreat, after first coming under fire,) appears to have varied from 
twenty-five minutes to six hours, being in most cases fruni five to six hours. 

To the regiments most actively engaged the time was thought to be much 
shorter than actually elapsed, the five or six hours in which they were engaged 
seeming to the men, as they state, scarcely one hour. The time duriijg which 
men stood under tire without being aciively engaged themselves is, on the 
other hand, found to be over-estimated by them. 

Degree of Vigor during the Battle. — It is claimed that in eight of the twenty- 
nine regiments visited, there were no symptoms of exhaustion manifest during 
the battle ; that in eight there was evident sufi'ering and fatigue evinced by men 
lagging behind, and by companies breaking up, especially after double-quick, 
few or none giving conjpletely out ; that in ten regiments, many (in some in- 
stances stated as liigii as one-fourth or one-tbiid of the number constituting the 
regiment,) gave completely out, "some few dropping down in convulsions," 
or sutfering from " sun stroke." The evidences of exhaustion in other regi- 
ments are not assigned. 

Causes of Exhatistion during the Battle. — In explanation of the alleged excessive 
exhaustion of tbe men toward the close of the battle, the dfhcers consulted in 
twenty-six of the twenty-nine regiments referred to, attribute it to fatigue and 
heat, twenty-one to lack of food and drink. All the reports which assigned iu- 
Butficiency of fVud and drink as a cause, also as.signed excessive fatigue. Six of 
tiiem assign fatigue, and especially the march at double-quick, as the main 
cause of the exhaustion which was manifest during and just tifter the battle. 

Cause of Retreat. — The proximate cause of tlie retreat is variously assigned — 
to the attack of fresh reserves of the enemy upon our right — to the rapid and 
apparently wild return of tbe caissons for ammunition — to the appearance of a 
retreat of our cavalry, who were thought by some to be riding over our own in- 
fantry, the rear guard, at the same time, mistaking them for fccssion cavalry, 
&c. Certain moi e organic causes of the defeat are frequently stated. 

By some tlie defeat is attributed to the condition of the men, exhausted by 
excessive fatigue, and by want of sufficient food, drink, and sleep ; by others, to 
a "leelirg." on the approach of the fresh reserves of the enemy, "of the total 
inadequacy of a small force to compete with superior numbers supported by 
masked batteries." By others the defeat is attributed to "causes involving the 
wb(de command ;" " not due to previous exposure and fatigue, but to the bad 
conduct of the battle on tbe part of the leaders." By others (regulars) the 
defeat is attributed to "inefficiency of volutileers ;" by one (German) to "bad 
Strategy and want of discipline." 

Through all the regiments there appears to have prevailed the false idea of 
the vast superiority in point of numbers possessed by the enemy, together witli 



102 

a_lnck of cnnfiflence in the Tnilitnry ekill of the lemlprs of the nrmy of the Un'on, 
as compnrel with thiit of the l.jideis nn the p ivt of t'le rebels; ul^o combiuecl 
to a Cort.iiii exieut with a Jreud of meeting an iuvisib'.e foe. 

Oljicers Leaving their Commands. — In thirteen of the regiments the otficnrs are 
sai'l not to have been much separated from their commands, except iu the case 
of woundtd officers; in eleven resiimeiits it appe'irs that the officers were, to a 
considerable extent, separated from their commtnid-*, the regiments being "much 
scattered," " badly disorganized," "broken into fr.igments," ihe men being, in 
certain cases, "left entirely to themselves." Concerning five of the regiments 
vi-ited. no iiifovmatiun was givi n on this point. (The above report is that of 
the officers tliemselves in most cases. ^ 

Throwing aicai/ of Arms and Equipments. — Of the twenty-nine bodies vi>ited, 
tweuty-two threw away or laid aside bbnikets and 'laversacks before engaging 
in battle. Some placed them in a pi'e under guard, others threw them aside 
carc'essly, either Itofore arriving on the field, wiiile approaching it at double- 
quick, or immediately before engaging with the enemy. Three regiments threw 
oft' tlieir blaidsets during the battle, and the march at double-quiek on the battle 
field ; one regiment threw aside blankets only, retaining haversncks ; and three 
only of the twenty -nine hidies of troops visited retained possession of their 
blankets and haversacks during the engagement. 

During the retreat, it appears from Ihe reports of the inspectors that the men 
of ten regiments did not throw away any of their arms or accoutrements ; that 
the men of nine regiments did throw away portions, no report being made rela- 
tive to the course of the retnaiiiing fen regiments. There is no reason to believe 
that these latter averaged better indiscipline than the former, and it is probable 
that there was some loss of arms in, at lea«t, half of them. Colonel Keyes, of 
1st brigade, 1st divi.'^ion, reports that his brigade bivouaced on the night of the 
23d near Fort Corcoran, "every man with liis firelock." 

The number of muskets thrown away during the retreat was stated, in some 
cases, to be about fifty ; generally' the number is not mentioned. [A considera- 
ble portion of one regiment arc reported to have exchanged their smooth-bore 
muskets for those of a superior kind left behind by regiments prece'ling."] 

The blankets and haversacks of many of the regiments, e-^pecially of those 
actively engiged in the confiict of the 21st.. were lost, being left on the field 
of battle wherever they were deposited before theengagement. A sm:ill num- 
ber of the regiirients, and a few individuals and companies in each rpiriment, 
possessed themselves again of their blankets and haversacks, it is stated, before 
leaving the field. 

Overcoats do not appear to have been so generally lost, as many of the regi- 
ments left their c^mps at th" time of the general advanc^, (July 10,) equipped 
in "light marching order," that is, with blankets, haversacks, and canteens, 
leaving overcoats in their camps. Certain of the regiments, as, for instance, the 
Conneclicnt regiments and the 2d Elaine regiment, in the briga le under the effi- 
cient commatui of Cd. Iv'yc-i. recovered much property of other regiments, in- 
cluding arms and otlier equipments thrown aside in flight, and also including 
the abandoned tetits and camp equipage of two regiments, (of another brigade.) 
this latter property being secured by his troops during the continued ('.renching 
rain of Ihe 22d. Companies in certain other regiments (as in the Massachusetts 
1st) halted on retreat, and picked up blanke's, camp kettles, &c., which they 
found thrown aside on the road. (The loss of blankets at this time led in cer- 
tain regiments to a good deal of subsequent sickness and increased demorali- 
zation. ) 

Bad Arms. — One regiment complained of the bad condition of their smooth- 
bore muskets, (the altered muskets of 1840,) nipples breaking, cartridges too 
small. So as to drop in, or too large, so as to require to be forced in by pres- 
sing thernmrod against trees, &c., &c. This complaint does not seem to have 
been general, witli certain regiments the smooth bores working efficiently. 



^~i- 



10:', 



Distance Travelleil. — The distance traveled by the several regiments on the 
night of tlic retreat varied from twenty to thirty-live miles, frencvtilly it whs 
about twenty-aeven. The average distance of the day's advance and retreat, 
iacluding movements on the field, was about forty-four miles. 

riii/slcal Condition after the Retreat. — Tiie next morning, (the -2d,) according to 
the almost universal report, there were few, if any, able men in the int'anti-y. 
151i!<tered feet, rheumatic pains, aching limbs, diarrlitva, and nervous debility 
being prevalent. 

The physical condition of three of twenty nine bodies of troops when visited 
a few days later, was reported "unaltered by exposure aiul retreat," "not 
exhausted ;" the men of four regiments were reported to be not much exhausted ; 
those of fifteen were reporteil to be much exhatisted, " physically prostrated," 
"prostrated," "exhausted and worn out," "greatly affected by exposure and 
retreat," "terribly fatigued, coulil not get rested," &c. The physical condition 
of seven of the regiments was not stated. 

Causes of Exhaustion. — The physical exhaustion of the troops was attributed 
to excessive fatigue, to heat, and to want of food and drink. 

Extent and Decree of Demoraliza/ion after the Battle. — At the time of making the 
inrjuiries. from tlie 2.')th to the Jilst of July, ii elusive, it appeared that of the 
twenty-eight regiments visited, eight were considered by their officers not to be 
essentially demoralized;* one was described as "not discouraged," another 
"full of courage and ready for an engagement ;" (1st Mass,) '■'■morale good," 
(2d K. I.;) "in good spirits," (2d N. II.) — eight were reported to be not much 
demoralized, "some few dispirited, but generally cheerful and animated," 
"somewhat depressed and disgusted with needless (?) exposure, otherwise not 
much demoralized," (there is reason to think that the exposure to rain, com- 
plained of as needless, was far from needless, was in fact, essential to the pro- 
tection of property;) " not much di-heartened" "will re-enlist." &c. ; twelve 
were reported "as much demoralized," "much disheartened and discouraged," 
"morally prostrated by the rout," "low spirits," "one-half of the regiment 
demoralized, mnjority wish to go home," "wish to be disbanded and return to 
figlit under other leaders," "completely demoralized, discontented, unwilling 
to serve, because, as they allege, ill-fed and unpaid." 

The degree of demoralization does not appear to be coincident with the de- 
gree of physical and nervous exhatistion. 

As a rule, the best officered, the best disciplined, and the best fed regiments, 
were obviously the least demoralized. 

Causes of Demoralization. — The demoralization was attributed, by those making 
answer to the inquiry, generally, in each case, to several causes combined. 
Among these, in fifteen cases physical and nervous prostration was mentioned ; 
in seven cases, discouragement on account of the result of the battle, accompa- 
nied sometimes with a feeling of inadequacy to compete with superior numbers; 
in two cases the great mortality attetnlant upon the late engagements was as- 
signed among the causes; in three cases, dissatisfaction with armament — 
(smooth-bore muskets;) in three, dissatisfaction with and lack of confidence in 
officers; in five, dissatisfaction with food; in one case, dissatisfaction on ac 
count of failure to receive from Government pay promptly for services ; in two 
dissatisfaction in conse<iuence of supposed needless exposure to storm. 

General Sammarj/. — From these investigations, combined with information 
derived from official reports of the generals commanding; from published state- 
ments in rebel as well as loyal journals; from previous investigations of the 



* Subsequent reports were uunietimeB lea favorable. 



104 

inspectors ol the Sanitary Comraissiou as to the condition of the troops, and 
from other sources, it is manifest that our army, previous to and at tjie time of 
the eng,ii;;ement. was sulfdriug from want of sufHcient, regularly-provided, and 
suitable food, from thirst, from want ( in certain cases) of refreshing sleep, and 
from the exhausting elFects of a long, hot, and rapid march, the more exhaust- 
ing because of the diminution of vital force of the troops due to the causes above 
enumerated. They entered the field of battle with no pretence of any but the 
most elementary and imperfect military organization, and, in respect of disci- 
pline, little better than a mob, which does not know its leaders. The majority 
of the officers had, three months before, known nothing more of their duties 
than the privates whom they should have been able to lead, instruct, and pro- 
tect. Nor had thc3% in many cases, in the meantime, been gaining materially, 
for thej' had been generally permitted, and many had been disposed, to spend 
much time awa\' from their men, in indolence or frivolous amusement, or dis- 
sipation. 

It appears that many were much exhausted on reaching the field of battle, 
but that, supported by the excitement of the occasion, they rallied fairly, and 
gradually drove the opposing forces from Sudley Spring to the lower ford, and 
from the lower ford to beyond the Stone bridge and the Warrenton road; that, 
at this time, (half-past three,) when congratulated by superior officers, and con- 
gratulating themselves on having achieved a victory, and when having repulsed 
reinforcements sent from the extreme right of the enemy to support their re- 
treating columns, they were just relaxing their severely-tried energies, there 
appeared in the distance "the residue " of the forces of General Johnston, (see 
McDowell's report. Dr. Nott's letter to a Mobile paper, and correspondence of 
Charleston Mercury,) a single brigade (Elsey's) coming from the Manassas Gap 
Junction railroad, marching at double-quick to engage our troops at the right 
Avho had been hotly fighting unrelieved by reserves during the day. This brig- 
a ie, joined with the two regiments of Kershaw and Cash, "turned the tide of 
battle." (See in Richmond Dispatch, July 2'\ statement "of a distinguished 
officer who bore a conspicuous part on the field of battle on the 21st of July."), 

Our troops ignorant of the fact that they liad been contending against and 
repulsing tlie combined forces of B?auregard and Johnston; and believing that 
this inconsiderable remnant of Johnston's forces which they now saw approach- 
ing to be his entire column; and feeling their inability, without rest or refresh- 
ment, to engige an additional force of fresh troops nearly equal in number to 
those with whom they had been contending during the day, — commenced a re- 
treat, not very orderly, but quite as much so, at first, as had been the advance 
in which they had driven back the forces of the enemy. Their (nominal) lead- 
ers, who too often had followed them in battle, were, in many cases, not behind 
them on retreat. 

As they retired, however, a sense of disintegration began to pervade their 
ranks; e^ich ceased to rely on his comrade for support, and this tendency was 
augmented by the upturned wagons blocking the road, which served to com- 
pletly bie:ik the imperfect columns. 

The reports of the inspectors give no evidence that the panic infected the 
exireme left, or the reserves, to any sensible degree. It was uncontrollable 
only with a part of the troops on the extreme right, among whom it originated. 
Many at the centre and the left were surprised when the order came to retreat, 
and for a time considered it as merely an order to change position in view of a still 
further general advance. Some officers state that they " warmly remonstrated" 
— "too warmly, perhaps" — when they received the order to retire.* 



*Thc history of the '2cl Hhodo Island Volunteers may be cited as an example of those to whom 
Bull HuQ was no disgrace. Tliey wore near the extreme 7H£r/i< in the cngai^emeiit. Ttieir previous 
march lind bven as tutijiuini; as that of others; they were as badly Oil" f)r I'uod as others, having 
notliiu^; but a few crackers to eat for more than thirty-six hours. Tliey were the first to engage; 
were severely engaged, and as long as, or longer than, any others; (hey were badly cut. up, losing 
their colonel and other officers, and sixteen per cent, of the ranks in killed. TLey stood firm under 
fire while the pauie-stricken crowd swept by and through them, and until they received the ord«r to 



lo;, 

Tlie returns of tlie iiif;|icctors nro not itonclusive on tliis point ; hut I'roin the 
result of sulisequent speciKc in(|uiiies by Mr. lOlliott unil the Seci-etiirj-. it cnn 
1)6 stated with contidcnee that indicaiions of terror or great fear were seen in 
hnt a comparatively very small part of the retreating force. :Most trudg;ed 
alonjr, blindly following (as men do in auy mob) those before them, but with 
reluitance, a'ud earnest and constant expressions of dissatisfaction and indigna- 
tion, while no inconsiderable number retained, throun;h all the length of the 
privation and discomfort of their dreary return to Washington, astonishing 
cheerfulness and good humor, and were often heard joking at their own mis- 
fortunes, and ridiculing the inefficiency of their otlicers. The Germans of the 
reserve were frerjuently singing. None of the reserves were in the slightest 
degree affected by the panic, and their general expression with reference lo (he 
retreat was one of wonder and ciiriisitj'. 

The reserve, nevertheless, suft'ered mm-h from fatigue, and subsec|uenlly ex- 
hibited most d(>cided demoralization. 



V. 

.AMi'.ri.iNC!':. 

It is well known that the means of transi)ort:ition which regiments of ditl'er- 
cnt States have lu-ought to the seat of war with them, provideil by liie care 
and forethought, and paid for by the pecuniary liberality of the State or district 
supplying these troops, have, on their ai-nval at Washington, been withdrawn 
from "them, and turue-l into the common stock. To the corps d'armt'-e, whose 
position, in the front of operations, renders tlieni liable to the various contingen- 
cies of war. a very limited supply of means of transportation for the sick and 
wounded has been provided, far less in many cases than their original property. 
Since this report was prepared, the first important skirmish in the army of 
the Totomac for some months has occurred, lu all previous engagements it is 
notorious that the ambulance arrangements have proved, to the Ir.st degree, 
inadequate, and imperfect. Many lives were lost at Ball's Blutl', for instance, 
in consei|uence of this, and more woidd have been, had not a volunteer 
surgeon, without authority, compelled men to assist him in his iluties, by 
drawing his revolver and shooting at the first who refused to obey his orders. 
Since then the Medical Director has issued orders, excellent in spirit, for the 
training of a small number of ambulance attendants in each regiment, and it 
was hoped that we might be spared renewed occasion of shame for ne- 
glect to care for wounded men. In the all'air at Drainsville, December liOth, 
i)rd's brigade took to the field its whole ambulance provision, consisting of nine 
covered spring carts, in which but eigliteen men could well bo carried at once. 
The engagement took place twelve miles from where a " division hospital" — an 
anomaly in the service, unprovided for in the llegulations or Supply Tables — had 
been permitted to be established. Some sixty sufi'ering men were got hack to 
this hospital. But, although we had in this case driven tlie enemy in confusion 
from the field, for lack of ambulances, we were obliged to leave all but three of 
his wounded, (thought to be larger in number than our own,) on the ground 
wlicre they fell, at the'beginning of a December night. 



'i-treat. Tliey then whc-li-d stcuiily inlo (■(liuiiiii, and iii:iiclicd in good onlcr. until the road was 
• ibstriicted l)y overtiirned waj;ons. HiTe they wore badly broken up by a cinnonade, scattered 
«nd ilisorganized. but afterwards, havin;; mainly collected at Centreville, ret'ornieil iiiid marched 
tlie same ni'.:lit. under such of their otlicers as remained alive, to and tlirough Washington to a 
liositiou several miles to the novtliward— a post of danger— where they at once re.sumed regular 
lamp duties. When visited by the innpoctor, a few <lays afterwards, lie was told and was led to 
Iwlieve tliat the men had only wanted a day's rest to be ready and wlllini- to advance asain upon 
.111- enemy. He leported the regiment not demov.ili/.ed. 



km; 

VI. 
VOl.UXTEKU AUiMY SUPPLIES. 

It is hardly just to let this report go forth to the public without a more distinct 
reference to the deep and earnest, resolute and abiding spirit of patriotism in 
the women of the countrj' of which the Commission daily receives more tangible 
evidence tlian can be conveyed in words. From a backwoo'is neighborhood, for 
instance, conies a box containing contributions of bed clothing and wearing 
apparel from sixty women and chiUircn, the invoice running thus : '■'■One pair of 
Ktockings from the widow Barber ; one quilt, iwo hollies currant wine, one cheese, 
Mrs. Barber : two pillow cases and one pair utockinijs, Jane Barber ; one pair 
stockinr/s and one handkerchief, Iaic;/ Barber : one pair mil tens and Robinson Cnisoc, 
Jedididh Barber ;'^ and then follows the list of contributions of another fani ly. 
A few devout words only are commonly added to such a list, but they im])ly 
that the donors are ready to give all they possess if it shall be needed t > main- 
tain the inheritance of our father.'^. Blankets worn in the Revolution, and others 
taken in the last war with England, heir-loom linen, with groat-gr><ndmother's 
hand-marks, and many family treasures, are sent as free-will oiferings, with sim- 
ple i)rayers that they may contribute to the comfort of sgme defender of liberty. 
To the same end, ihc first ladies of the land, if any are entitled to that appellation, 
have, without cessation, during all the hot summer, been engageil daily in dry, 
hard, plodding work, sorting, marking, packing goods, antl carrying on extended 
and tedious accounts ami coirespondence, with the preci.sion, accuracy, and regu- 
larity of trained merchants. In all tiiere is little character of romantic enthu- 
siasm, but much, and, as tlie months pass, more and more, of deep-seated, abid- 
ing, self-sacrificing resolution. It seems as if the women were just now beginning 
to feel how much they love their country; and the inquiry " How can we 
best do something for the army?" is coming from every quarter, from the border 
slave .States as well as the free. That it is important that this desire should 
be gratified, and with judicious economy directed where it will most truly aid, 
l^owever slightly, the strength and comfort of our soldiers, there can be no 
(|uestion. Although our volunteers are, as compared with the soldiers of other 
armies, generously paid, few large armies of modern times have been as little 
influenced by mercenary motives. The gifts which, especially when sick and 
woundei], the men have sent to them from the women at home, cau but have an 
ennobling influence upon them; and the aid given in this manner to the army , must 
create in all those from whom it proceeds, an interest in and sympathy with the 
army, and with its objects, which will prepare them constantly for greater sac- 
rifices and more resolute devotion tc the Government, should it be neede<l. 
How well Washington understood this, the following letter, written by liis own 
hand at a time when he must have been overloaded with business of the 
grandest importance, gives evidence. It has never before been published : 

Copy of a Letter from Gen. Washington to Mrs. Bache, {Daughter of Franklin.) 

IiKA]> Q"i!S IN P>i;i<(;k.\, N. •!., 14//i of ,/uli/, 1780. 

AI.vDA.M : I have received with much pleasure — but not till last night — your 
favor of the 4th, specifying the anu)unt of the subscriptions already collected 
f()r the use of the American Sf)ldiery. 

This fresh nuirk of the patriotism of the Ladies entitles them to the highest 
applause of their country. It is impossible for the army not to feel a superior 
gratitude on such an instance of goodness. If I am ha))py in having the con- 
currence of the Ladies, 1 would propose the purchasing uf coarse linen, to be 
made into shirts, with the wliole amount of their subscription. A shirt extra- 
onlinary to the soldier will be of more service to him than any other thing tliat 
could be procured him : while it is not intended to, nor shall, exclude him from 
the usual supply which he draws frum the public 



^~^ 



!(»■ 



This nppenrs to mc to be tlio best mode for its applicalioii, provided it is 
approved of Ity the Ladies. I am happy to <itid you Iiave been good onoiiph to 
jiive us a claim on your endeavors to complete the execution of tlie design 
An example so Inudable will certainly he nurtured, and must be productive of 
a favorable issue in the bosoms of the fair, in the sister States. 

Let me congratulate our benefactors on the arrival of the French fleet off 
the harbor of Newport on the afternoon of the 10th. It is this moment an- 
nnuuced. but without any particulars, as an interchange of signals had onlv 
taken place. o o j 

1 pray the Ladies of your family to receive, with my compliments, my liveliest 
liianks for the interest they take in my favor. 

With (lie most perfect re-^pect and esteem, I have the honor to be, madam. 
Your obedient and humble servant. 

GEO. W.\SHIN(;T()N. 



LBMy'21 



